T'U'GS 3:20/22 New Beginnings
by The Big Lazy Dragon
Summary: The season finale. With the holidays upon them, the clan is treated to some wonderful news, some interesting plans for the New Year are made and Elisa makes a decision that will affect not only her future, but the future of the clan as well.
1. Part One

New Beginnings

Part One

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

**November 25, 1999 **

**Thanksgiving Day**

**The Labyrinth**

Elisa set the tray on the table before looking around at the people gathered around to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner. Off to one side she spotted Delilah laughing as she bounced Danny on her knee, being careful not to injure him on the spur. _It looks like he brought out her maternal instincts, _she thought. It was hard to believe that this was the same boy that several months ago was suffering from a debilitating illness. Now that he was receiving treatments, he was full of life and energy.

"I think motherhood agrees with her," Maggie said as she followed Elisa's gaze.

"What?" Elisa said.

"Delilah," Maggie said. She pointed to the clone. "Motherhood agrees with her."

"Danny's not her kid," Elisa said. "You know that."

"I know," Maggie said. "But he's gotten real attached to her ever since Thailog put his mom in the hospital. How's she doing anyway?"

"Dr. Sato said she should be out in another couple of days," she said. "She was lucky."

"Danny's the lucky one," Talon said as he came over. "If it hadn't been for Delilah insisting on taking care of him while Kate recovered in the hospital, he probably would have ended up in a foster home."

"Where he probably wouldn't have gotten the care he needed," Elisa said. "It's a good thing he's got people here who care enough to look out for him."

"It's too bad they'll end up looking for handouts after Kate gets out of the hospital," Maggie said.

"What makes you say that?" Elisa asked.

"She used to work for Demona, right?" Maggie said. "It'll be a miracle if she lets Kate have her old job back after all this time."

"I think you're selling Demona short," Elisa said. "Who do you think has been covering her hospital expenses and Danny's treatments?"

"You're kidding?" Talon said. "Demona?"

"Who'd have thought it possible?" she said. "But stranger things have happened in the past couple of months. Don shows up again, Delilah gets a job as a stripper." Elisa quickly looked over at the clone, making sure Delilah hadn't heard her. More than once, Delilah had objected to that term. As far as Delilah was concerned, she was an exotic dancer, not a stripper. "And Macbeth and Demona put an end to their hostilities. I really think that things are beginning to turn around for her."

Talon looked over at Delilah and Danny. "So Demona's paying for Kate's medical care, huh? This is going to take some getting used to. Next thing you know, she'll be inviting us over for drinks."

"Funny you should mention that," Elisa said and smiled as she told them about Demona's afternoon out with Don.

"Okay, everyone," Broadway chimed. "Soup's on."

Diane Maza stood back and watched as people started filling up their plates with food. More than a couple came back for seconds.

"I think you really outdid yourself this time," she said, turning to look at the blue-green gargoyle.

"I love Thanksgiving," Broadway admitted. "It gives me an excuse to really go all-out on the food. And I had some great help this year." He turned and looked at Angela, who was piling food on a plate for an eager ten-year-old.

"And I'm going to have to do some extra digging when I get back to Arizona just to get rid of the extra pounds," Beth quipped as she loaded her plate. "Otherwise, I'm going to end up as big as you." She playfully poked Broadway in the middle.

"Then perhaps you shouldn't eat so much," Angela said.

"What, and insult your hubby?" Beth said. "I couldn't possibly do that. Besides, where else can I get great food like this? Too bad you don't deliver, Broadway. You'd make a killing in the catering biz."

"Now there's an idea," Broadway laughed. "You think Demona would float me a small business loan to get started," he asked Angela.

"I don't know," she said. "You could always ask her." She put her arms around her rotund mate. "Although, you might want to wait a while," she continued, knowing that Demona was still getting over her break-up with Don. She had hoped that things would work out between her mother and Elisa's former love, but she saw how things had changed between them after the incident with Thailog. Demona had broken off her relationship with Don shortly after that.

"I thought Don was going to be here," she heard Beth say.

"He called a little while ago," Diane said. "He said he had a few things to finish up before coming over. Something about the clan down in Guatamala."

Broadway remembered Don mentioning to Goliath an interest in heading down to Central America to take some pictures of the gargoyles down there. Ever since he got out of the hospital after the Newtech fire, Don had become more active as a photographer for P.I.T., and Andrea Calhoun had begun featuring several of his gargoyle photographs alongside her own artwork at some of her more recent gallery showings. _Not bad for someone everyone thought was dead for eight years._

As if in response to his question, Don walked into the Sanctuary, heading straight for the table. He was carrying several dishes that were covered up by foil.

"Am I too late to add something to the table?" he asked.

"Not at all," Dianne said. "What have you got?"

"A few of my personal favorites," he said. He set the dishes on the table and pulled back the foil. "Scalloped corn and home-made mashed potatoes."

Broadway bent over and took a sniff. "Smells great," he said.

"Sayeth the Master chef," Don said. He quickly backed off as several people, including Beth, helped themselves to the new additions to the meal. Within minutes, most of what he brought was gone. "I guess I should have made more," he said.

"That's okay," Broadway said. "If you want, I think Talon and Maggie have some uncooked potatoes in the kitchen if you want to make some more."

"Sounds great," he said. "I'll get right on it. But first…" He took a look around and focused on one particular individual. "I see a certain platinum blonde who is in serious need of some attention."

"Who's that?" Broadway asked.

Don smiled as he turned and headed over towards Elisa and Delilah. Angela felt her heart sink as she realized what was about to happen.

Elisa looked up as Don approached both her and the hybrid clone. She couldn't help but see the smile on Delilah's face. _Something tells me there's something going on with these two, _she thought, remembering the very quick, but nonetheless rather intense kiss Delilah had given Don a month ago.

"Ah, my two favorite ladies," he said. He bent down and gave Elisa a quick kiss on the cheek, but when he turned toward Delilah, the hybrid clone quickly snaked her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him into a longer, somewhat more intense kiss on the lips.

"Ahem," Elisa said after several moments. When they finally broke the contact, she raised her eyebrow at them. "Is there something the two of you would like to tell me?"

Delilah blushed brightly as she turned to face her. "We've been…seeing each other." She paused as she took Don's hand into her own.

"I gathered that," Elisa said. She looked at Don. "But I thought that you and Demona were…"

"We…broke up after what happened last month," Don said, absently rubbing the spot on his cheek where Demona had slapped him earlier that month. _I know she really didn't mean the things she said, _he thought. "Delilah sort of caught me on the rebound."

"I hope you don't mind," Delilah said nervously. "I know that you and Don were once in love…"

"You know what," Elisa said. "I couldn't be happier. I'm just surprised it took the two of you so long to…" She stopped and a shocked look came over her face. _My God,_ she thought. _I'm turning into my mother!_ She remembered her own mother saying almost the exact same thing over nine years ago when she and Don made the announcement that they were seeing each other. She laughed to herself and she looked up to see Don smiling at her. _He remembers, _she thought.

"I take it you were thinking the same thing," he said.

Elisa shook her head as she laughed again. "I guess they're right when they say that motherhood is genetic."

"What?" Delilah asked. She looked at both Elisa and Don, confused. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing, sweetheart," Don said, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. "I'll explain it later."

"I certainly hope so," Delilah said. "I'd hate to think I missed out on something important."

She was lost. She was sure about that. Despite the directions Dominique had given her, Andrea was hopelessly lost. _Labyrinth is right,_ she thought ruefully. _Any minute now, the Minotaur is going to pop up and…_

"Who you?" a voice behind her asked. She cried out in surprise and spun around. There, standing before her, was a gargoyle. A gargoyle that looked vaguely familiar.

"Br…Broadway?" she asked.

"Not Broadway," he said. "Hollywood. Broadway is…" He hesitated, trying to find the proper word.

_Hollywood? _Andrea thought for a moment, then it dawned on her. "You're one of the clones," she said. Dominique had told her about them. She said they guarded the Sanctuary during the night.

"Yes," Hollywood said. "I am clone. Broadway is original."

Andrea studied his face for a moment. He seemed almost depressed by the fact. _I probably hurt his feelings when I mistook him for Broadway, _she thought.

"And you?" he asked.

"I'm Andrea," she said.

"An…drea," Hollywood repeated. "You are artist friend?"

"Yes," she said. She looked around. "And I'm lost," she admitted. "Can you show me where the Sanctuary is? I tried to follow Domi's directions, but I think I took a wrong turn somewhere."

"Domi?" the clone asked.

Andrea mentally kicked herself. _They don't think of her as Dominique Destine,_ she realized. _To them, she's Demona. _"I mean Demona," she said.

"Is she with you?" he asked, looking up and down the tunnel.

"I wouldn't be lost if she were," she said. "Can you show me where to go? I don't want to get lost again." She paused as she considered the clone. "And I'd feel safer if someone were with me."

"Sure," he said. He turned and started back the way she had come. "I show you. This way."

Andrea smiled as she followed in his wake, thankful for the company.

It didn't take them long to reach the Sanctuary. When they got there, Angela caught sight of them and rushed over to greet her.

"Andrea, hi," she said. "We weren't expecting to see you. Is Mother with you?"

"No," Andrea said. "Dominique still in Paris. She said that she had to take care of some important business, but..." She paused as she looked at Angela. "I know she's still upset over what happened." Demona had told Andrea about her break-up with Don, but not the reason, although Andrea had a feeling she knew why. _She doesn't want what could have happened to me to happen to him, _she thought. "She said I could come down here if I wanted to." She looked over at Hollywood. "I kinda got lost, though. But Hollywood found me and escorted me here."

Angela smiled, grateful that the clone had found her friend. "Thank you, Hollywood," she said.

"Yes, thank you," Andrea repeated and gave the clone a quick peck on the cheek. He blushed brightly in response.

"I better go back to post," he said and quickly turned to leave.

"How's the arm?" Angela asked.

Andrea looked down at her left arm, which was in a brace. Thailog had broken the arm in order to force Demona to show him how to use the Bloodstone. The magic had repaired most of the damage, but she still needed to keep the arm immobile to allow it to heal properly.

"It's still a little sore," she said. She flexed her fingers. "But at least I can still use it."

"I'm glad," Angela said. "I'd hate to think what you'd do if you lost your gift."

"I don't even want to consider it," Andrea said. "I'm just glad we all got out of there alive."

"As am I," a voice behind her said.

Andrea shrieked as she turned, moving quickly to hide behind Angela. _That voice…_

"I am sorry, Andrea," Goliath said. "I did not mean to startle you."

Andrea relaxed as she took in the lavender gargoyle. "No, it's all right," she said. "I should have realized it was you." Thailog's voice still haunted her at night, as did his face, his laugh, but she knew that Goliath wasn't Thailog. The voice may sound the same, but Goliath's sounded warm and compassionate, whereas Thailog's was cold and uncaring. There were still nights where she woke up in a cold sweat, afraid that Thailog was coming for her again, but she knew she had friends she could call on if she needed to. And here, she was literally surrounded by them. Thailog was never going to hurt her again. _And if Dominique ever caught up with him…_

"I heard a scream," Elisa said as she came running. She slowed when she saw Andrea.

"It's okay, Elisa," Angela said. "Father just caught her by surprise."

"Is she okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, detective," Andrea said, not realizing she used the same expression Demona usually used for her, until she caught the look on Elisa's face. "I mean Elisa. It's just that…"

"I know how you feel," Elisa said. "Thailog tends to have that effect on people." She looked up at Goliath. "Thankfully, not all gargoyles are like him."

"Thank goodness for small favors," Andrea said.

Elisa smiled. "Goliath, Don asked me to find you. He had an idea, and I think you're really going to like it."

"A gargoyle yearbook?" Goliath asked.

"Something like that," Don said. "Although a Millennium Book would probably be a better name for it. Or something else along those lines."

"And this Millennium Book would include…"

"I was thinking maybe family portraits," Don said. "Individual stills, head shots, clan affiliations. That kind of thing. Maybe even a family tree, showing ancestry and descendants."

"Hmm," Goliath murmured.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Elisa said. "Sort of like a family album, but on a bigger scale."

"I like the idea, too," Angela said. "After all, humans do the same thing. Remember the photo album that Elisa's parents have? It was full of pictures."

"And some of those pictures date back over seventy years," Diane said. "I remember going through one of my grandmother's old photo albums for pictures to keep after she passed away. I ended up keeping all of them because I couldn't bear the thought of losing them. It was all we had left of her."

Brooklyn and Sata looked at each other, staying slightly off to one side so no one could see the knowing glance that passed between them.

_They're planning the Compendium, _he realized. During their stay in the future, Angela and Broadway had shown them the original Gargoyle Compendium. It was a matter of pride for the clan. The original had photographs of nearly every single clan in the world, and Angela had said that it took Don nearly two years to complete it. _Now I know why that photograph Don had taken of him, Sata and the twins looked familiar, _he thought. Angela had said it was one of the first to be selected for the book. And Angela had also said that he had a hand in its creation...

"What do you think, Brooklyn?" Goliath asked.

"Hmm," Brooklyn asked. "Sorry, what?"

"Do you believe that this is a good idea?" Goliath asked, repeating the question he had asked while Brooklyn's mind was wandering. "This project of Don's."

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "Just think what it could mean to future generations of gargoyles."

Elisa and Goliath shared a knowing look, realizing that Brooklyn had just given them a hint of the future. "Then it is settled."

"All we have to do now is choose a suitable name for the project," Don said. "Then we can get started."

"Why wait to choose a name?" Andrea asked. "With a project like this, shouldn't it begin as soon as possible."

"You know what, Andrea," Don said. "You're right. Where's my camera bag?"

Talon and Maggie watched as Goliath began clearing an area away from everyone else and Don began checking his light meter.

"What's going on?" Talon asked.

"Don came up with a great idea for a project," Diane said. "He's going to put together a kind of yearbook for the gargoyles. Hopefully, he can get pictures of all the gargoyles around the world for it."

"Sounds like quite an undertaking," Talon said. "Are they going to start now?"

"Yes," Diane said. "Don said he wanted to get started as soon as possible. Derek, can you bring the clones over here? Goliath said that they should be included in this."

"Sure thing," he said. He turned and headed across the Sanctuary.

"Derek," he heard Maggie call out to him. He paused long enough for his wife to catch up to him. "Did you tell them?"

"No, not yet," he said.

"You know they're going to have to be told sooner or later," she said.

"I know," Talon said. "I just wish that…"

"Wish what?" Peter asked. Startled, Talon and Maggie spun around to find Peter Maza looking at them. "Derek, is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Dad," Talon said. He gave his wife a nervous look.

"Now I know something's up," Peter said. "C'mon, you two. Spill it."

Talon began rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, you see, Dad," he said. "It's like this…"

"Like what?" Diane asked, approaching the three. "I thought you were going to go find the clones."

Talon looked at his mom. "I was," he said. "It's just that…"

"I'm pregnant," Maggie said finally.

The Sanctuary was plunged into silence as the word 'pregnant' seemed to reverberate off the walls. And everyone's eyes seemed to focus on the pair.

"You're…pregnant?" Peter finally managed to say.

"Maggie, are you sure?" Diane asked as a crowd started to converge on them.

"Did I hear what I think I heard?" Elisa, the first one to reach them, asked.

Maggie looked at the small crowd that was gathering. "Yes. I'm pretty sure. And yes, you heard correctly," she said, answering each question in turn.

Suddenly, there was a blur of orange and black as Claw scooped Maggie up in his arms and gave her a joyous hug. There were tears of joy in the silent Mutate's eyes.

"I think Claw is happy," Sharon said with a smile on her face.

"How can you tell?" Elisa quipped.

Sharon gave her a wry look.

"Yes, Claw," Maggie said, with some measure of difficulty. "I'm happy, too. But could you please put me down!"

"Claw, stop squishing my wife," Talon remarked.

An embarrassed look spread across the Mutate's face and he quickly set Maggie down on her feet. Then he made a flurry of gestures that Elisa had trouble keeping up with, but she got the general idea.

"That's right, Claw," Maggie said, watching as Claw linked his arms together and made a motion as if he were rocking a child in his arms. "I'm going to have a baby."

"Are you absolutely certain?" Diane asked.

"Well, I did miss my last two…" she started, pausing as she looked at the number of males gathering around them. "You know, _those._ And I have been feeling queasy in the morning."

"Sounds like she's pregnant to me," Elisa said.

"Did I hear right?" Don asked as he, Delilah and Goliath finally made it through the crowd. "You've got a bun in the oven?"

"Bun in the…" Goliath repeated, confused. "I thought…"

"It's an expression, Goliath," Elisa said. "One of our cute human sayings. I'll explain it later."

"I'm so happy for you," Delilah said, hugging Maggie, somewhat more gently than Claw had. "I know you'll make a fine mother."

"And you will make a fine father," Goliath said to Talon. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Goliath," Talon said. "But we're still not absolutely sure…"

"I'll stop by the drugstore tomorrow and pick you up a pregnancy test," Elisa said. "I doubt we could schedule you to see Dr. Jackson, though, so you may have to…"

"Who?" Goliath asked.

"Dr. Jackson," Elisa said. "She's a…an…"

"She's an obstetrician, Goliath," Diane said. "A doctor that specializes in pregnancy and childbirth." She thought for a moment. "Think of her as sort of a midwife."

"I see," he said, although he was still a bit confused. "But why would you need one now? Wouldn't she be needed during the actual delivery of the child?"

"Pre-natal care has come a long way since your time, Goliath," Elisa said. "Now we generally go to an obstetrician to see if a woman _is_ pregnant, to make sure she gets the proper care and nutrition and to make sure that the child is developing properly." She smiled for a moment. "Even to find out if the baby's going to be male or female."

"How is that possible?" Goliath asked. "Sorcery?"

"Not really," Dr. Daniel Goldblum said as he approached the couple. "Although, one could look at it that way." He looked at Maggie and Derek. "I understand there is a question as to whether or not you are with child," he said. "If you would like, I can run the test for you."

"Could you?" Maggie asked. "Right away?"

"Well, not today," he said, looking over at his wife and children, who had joined him to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Sanctuary this year. "Tomorrow perhaps, after I get a few things." He looked at Elisa. "I will need for you to pick up a very reliable test," he said. "I can tell you which one I believe is the best, but if you have a preference…"

"I'll trust your judgement," she said. "I haven't needed one for a while, so I guess whichever one you think is best…"

Dr. Goldblum took out a small pad of paper and made a quick note. "This one gives the best results," he said, handing the paper to Elisa. She committed the name of the test to memory and stuffed the slip into her pocket.

"In the meantime," Don said. "It looks like we've got something else to celebrate tonight." He gave Maggie a quick hug and shook Talon's hand briskly before taking Delilah by the hand and heading off into the crowd, all thoughts of the _Compendium_ temporarily forgotten in the wake of the joyous news. The resulting celebration lasted well past midnight and continued almost until dawn.

**December 1, 1999**

**Castle Wyvern**

Elisa snuggled closer to Goliath, allowing him to envelop her in his wings as they sat on the sofa in front of the fire. She was happy, and Goliath was as well.

"Soon the New Year will be upon us," he said. "Any thoughts about the coming year?"

"Actually, I'm still trying to recover from Thanksgiving," she said. "So much has happened this year, what with Don coming back and what's going on now between him and Delilah, Angela and Broadway finally getting married. Madoc. Thailog." She paused, sighing. "I think I want to wait a while before looking ahead to next year. Although…" She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "I have been thinking about Derek and Maggie."

"And their coming offspring," Goliath said. Dr. Goldblum had run the test as he had promised and the results were positive. Maggie was indeed pregnant.

"Yeah, and it got me thinking," she said.

"Elisa?"

"I want us to have a child, Goliath," she said.

"Elisa," Goliath repeated. "I do not know if it would even be possible for us to produce a child."

She brought her arms up and wrapped them around his broad neck. "We could try," she said. "I mean, it's not like we've been celibate all this time. We know that in some ways we're compatible. Maybe it's possible that we can."

"Perhaps," Goliath said. "But we should take this one step at a time." He set his hands around her waist and pulled her close. "Before we start making any decisions about this, we should consult a professional, someone who could advise us on how best to proceed."

"And who did you have in mind?" she asked.

**December 2, 1999**

**The Labyrinth**

"Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, doctor," Elisa said.

Dr. Goldblum smiled at Elisa and Goliath. "It's my pleasure," he said. "What can I do for the two of you?"

"You are aware that Elisa and I have decided to become mates," Goliath said.

"Of course," he said. "Have the two of you set a date yet?"

Elisa looked up at Goliath. "Not yet," she admitted. "But it will be sometime next year. We're hoping sometime in the summer."

"Good for you," he said. "I guess you're here to make arrangements for a blood test, then."

"Not exactly," Elisa said. "We want to find out if we're genetically compatible enough to have kids."

Dr. Goldblum did a double take, clearly surprised by their request. "The two of you wish to have children?"

"I know it's a little unusual…," Elisa said.

"To say the least," he said. "But I quite understand. And I am honored that you would ask me to help you out in this. Of course, there's always the possibility that you can't, but…" He looked across the Sanctuary to Delilah. "I don't see why a miracle can't happen twice in one century." He turned and headed for the Sanctuary lab. "If the two of you will come with me, we can get started."

Elisa sat with Delilah, rubbing her arm, which was still sore from the needle Dr. Goldblum used to extract blood samples for the test. Goliath paced back and forth across the outer office.

"What is taking so long?" he finally asked.

"It takes time," Elisa said. "We don't want him to rush this. It could make all the difference between saying we can and we can't."

"What are you hoping for?" Delilah asked.

"I'm hoping we can," Elisa said. "And just think, if the tests are positive, it could mean that you and Don could have children of your own someday."

Delilah took a quick glance over to Danny, who was asleep on a sofa opposite her. "I think I would like that," she said, smiling. Even though her relationship with Don hadn't proceeded to that level as of yet, she was hopeful that one day it would.

The door to the lab opened and Dr. Goldblum stepped out, wearing a smile. "I have good news," he said.

"The tests are positive?" Elisa asked.

"Yes," he said. "Of course, you may want to check with your own doctor before actually conceiving a child, but as far as genetic compatibility is concerned, I see no problems."

"Thank you, Dr. Goldblum," Goliath said as Elisa and Delilah hugged each other, overjoyed by the news.

**December 6, 1999**

**Office of Dr. Elsie Jackson, OB/GYN**

**10:00 AM**

Elisa sat on the chair, waiting for Dr. Jackson to return. More than once she got up to pace around the office. She stood up and began pacing again.

"Pacing won't make her come back any sooner," Diane Maza said.

"I know, Mom," she said. "It's just…"

"You're nervous about the test results," Diane said.

"Yeah," Elisa admitted. "I really want to make sure I can do this," she continued.

"Goliath and I are really looking forward to this."

At that moment, Dr. Jackson returned to the office. She was carrying Elisa's chart and wearing a smile on her face. Both Maza women took that as a good sign.

"So, what's the verdict?" Elisa asked. She sat down again.

"Considering your line of work, Elisa," Dr. Jackson said. "You're an extremely healthy young woman. And as far as I can tell, you're clean."

"So there shouldn't be any problem with me becoming pregnant?"

"Not as far as I can tell," she said. Dr. Jackson opened the chart. "Just as long as you take the necessary precautions. I did find something unusual in the blood work-up, but it doesn't appear to be causing any problems. It shouldn't affect the pregnancy." She closed the folder. "Of course, you'll probably want to schedule an appointment for the prospective father to see a…"

"That…could be a problem," Elisa said.

"What?" the doctor asked. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Yeah," Elisa said, looking to Diane. "About the father…"

"Elisa, don't tell me he's a user or an illegal."

"No, he's…" She hesitated, wondering if she should tell the doctor. _She's bound to find out eventually, _she thought. "He's a gargoyle."

"What?" Dr. Jackson said. "You're joking!"

"I'm afraid not," Elisa said.

Dr. Jackson sat back in her chair. "I always knew you were a strange one, Elisa," she said. "But I never thought…" She sighed heavily before continuing. "To be honest, if you're serious about this, I'm going to have to recommend against a pregnancy."

"Why?" Elisa asked. "If it's because he's a gargoyle…"

"That's part of the problem," she said. "But not for the reasons you think. I have no problem with them." She pointed to the painting hanging on the wall. Elisa instantly recognized it as one of Andrea Calhoun's early works. "I think they're fascinating. But there's still so much we don't know about them. Most importantly, their reproductive cycles. There is not one medical text available about them. About the only thing concrete about them is their stone sleep."

"No pun intended, I hope," Elisa said.

Dr. Jackson smiled. "Maybe just a little," she said. "But it's their stone sleep that worries me, Elisa. Will the child hibernate during the day like they do? If so, it could put an incredible strain on your system. We could be looking at a possible miscarriage."

"I hadn't thought about that," Elisa said.

"That is, even if the DNA is compatible enough to produce a child," she said.

"Dr. Goldblum seems to think that it is," Elisa said

"Dr. Goldblum?" she asked. "Would that be Dr. Daniel Goldblum?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "He's been doing research along similar lines, and he was kind enough to run a few tests for me." Elisa was reluctant to tell her the true nature of Dr. Goldblum's work. That was still being kept under wraps.

"Well, if he thinks that the DNA is compatible," Dr. Jackson said. "I guess I can't argue with that. But are you absolutely sure? I mean, there are no real precedents for this kind of thing…"

"There is, actually," Elisa said.

"I don't understand," she said.

"There's already one human/gargoyle hybrid in existence," Elisa said.

"I wasn't aware of this," she said. "When did this happen?"

"About three years," Elisa said. "Her name is Delilah."

"The dancer?" Dr. Jackson said. "I thought she was a full-blooded gargoyle."

"No, she's a hybrid," Elisa said. "She was cloned, actually. My DNA and the DNA of a gargoyle, so we know the DNA is reasonably compatible."

"Who…" Dr. Jackson started, wondering who had created her. "Did Dr. Goldblum…"

"No," Elisa said. "Let's just say that the guy who created her used less-than-ethical means to do it."

She realized the answer. "Let me guess. Anton Sevarius?"

"Yeah," Elisa said.

"I'm surprised you let that butcher anywhere near you," she said.

"Believe me, Elsie," Elisa said. "It wasn't voluntary. Somehow, he got a blood sample from me and grew her in a cloning chamber."

"And her gargoyle half?" Dr. Jackson asked. "Did it come from the same gargoyle that you…"

"No," Elisa said. "It came from his former mate. She and I weren't exactly friends at the time, either."

"I see," the doctor said. She sat back in her chair. "Elisa, I know you want this. But until we know more about the gargoyles, I'm still going to have to recommend against you having a child by one. Perhaps, if we could get one here so I could ask some questions about their reproductive cycle, maybe then we could go ahead with a pregnancy. But until then…"

"Would tonight be okay?" Elisa asked.

**The Eyrie Building**

Elisa watched as Goliath broke out of his stone sleep and turned to gaze at her. He quickly jumped down and hugged her. "Good evening, Elisa," he said.

"Hi yourself," she said. He noted that she seemed a little depressed.

"Are you well?" he asked.

"I'm just feeling a little disappointed," she said.

"Then I take it things did not go well at the…" He hesitated for a moment.

"Not really," she said. "Dr. Jackson recommended against my becoming pregnant."

"I see," he said. "Would it be because of my being a gargoyle?"

"Yeah," she said. "She's worried about what could happen during the pregnancy."

She absently kicked at a piece of Goliath's stone skin.

"She worries about the stone sleep," he said.

"You guessed it," she said. "I hadn't really thought about it before, but I should have figured that Angela would have turned to stone when Demona was pregnant with her."

"And your Dr. Jackson worries that it would cause complications during the pregnancy," Goliath said.

"Yes," Elisa said. "And she's not the only one. Now Mom's worried too."

"As am I," Goliath said. He placed his hand against her cheek. "I would not want you to risk doing this, Elisa. Not if it meant losing you."

Elisa placed her hand over his. "That means a lot, Goliath," she said. "But we still shouldn't give up. There's still a few options left open to us."

"Such as?" he asked.

"Well, that's something I want to talk to the rest of the clan about."

"Very well," he said. He picked her up and glided down to the courtyard where the rest of the clan had gathered.

"So that's the whole story," Elisa said. "Dr. Jackson has pretty much nixed the idea of Goliath and I having a child."

"That's terrible," Angela said. "Did she give a reason?"

"She worries about the stone sleep," Goliath said. "It is a valid concern." He looked at Sata, Brooklyn's mate, and their children. "Up until now, we had never thought much about the possibility of offspring." He paused as he put his arm around Elisa's shoulder. "But with Elisa's decision to have a child, it is something we must address."

"Not to mention what goes on during the delivery," Elisa added. "From my understanding, gargoyle eggs are...what, this big?" She held out her hands to what she thought was a typical size for a gargoyle egg.

"Just a wee bit bigger, lass," Hudson said. When Elisa opened the distance between her hands a little more, he nodded and Elisa's eyes went wide._ Maybe I should rethink this after all, _she thought. But then she looked up at Goliath again. _No, _she thought then. _Somehow, I'm going to make this work._

"Did yuir doctor give any possibility of changin' her mind about this?"

Elisa looked at Sata and Angela. "Well, she did say she would like to talk to one of the clan to get an idea of what really goes on during pregnancy..." She hesitated. "Sata, would you come with me to her office? All she wants to do is ask some questions and maybe run a few tests."

"I am honored that you would ask me, Elisa-chan," Sata said. "But I remember very little of my own pregnancy. I do remember that I had some difficulty towards the end caused by my exposure to the magic of the Phoenix Gate. I would make a very poor choice for a consultation with your Dr. Jackson."

"I understand," Elisa said. "Thanks anyway."

"You could ask my mother," Angela said. "I know that she's still uneasy about the idea of the two of you becoming mates, but it couldn't hurt to ask her."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Brooklyn said.

**Destine Manor**

Elisa pulled up to the main gate of Destine Manor and reached out to press the intercom button. She paused for a minute, unsure if she could actually go through with it. _C'mon, Elisa, _she told herself. _You and Demona aren't enemies anymore. After all, she did save you life, and you did give her some advice about Don, even if it didn't last. You can do this. _She reached out and pressed the button.

The intercom stayed silent for what seemed to be an eternity. "Maybe she's not back yet," she asked aloud. Angela had said that Demona had gone to Paris on business, but they both suspected that there was another reason. _I can certainly understand her reasons for taking off, _she thought. She looked at the camera, knowing that if Demona were inside, she was most certainly aware that she was there. She reached for the intercom button again.

"Yes, what is it?"

Demona's voice made her jump, but she quickly mastered her surprise.

"It's Elisa," she quickly said. "I'd like to talk if you don't mind."

"About?"

"It's...personal," Elisa said hesitantly.

The intercom went silent for a moment, and Elisa wondered if Demona was going to let her in.

"I really don't feel like talking about Don right now, detective," Demona finally replied.

"I'm not here to talk about Don," she said. "It's about another matter." She paused for a moment. "And it's not something that can be discussed over the intercom."

The intercom was silent for several more seconds. "Very well," Demona finally said and the gate began to slide open. Elisa quickly drove her car inside and parked in front of the manor.

_I just hope I'm not making a big mistake, _she thought.

"So you want me to go with you to this doctor to talk about how gargoyles breed?" Demona asked.

"Not exactly," Elisa said. "She has some questions about the gargoyle reproductive cycle. When I told her that I wanted to have a child with Goliath, she was less than thrilled about it."

"As well she should be," Demona said. "Have you any idea what you'd be getting yourself into, detective?"

"I'm starting to get an idea," Elisa said. "I'm guessing it wouldn't be pleasant."

"To say the least."

Elisa leaned forward in her chair. "Look, Demona. All I'm asking is that you talk to her. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as everyone thinks. And even if it is, think about the benefits of having someone in the medical community versed in gargoyle reproduction."

Demona thought that over. After a few moments, she returned her attention to Elisa. "And I should trust this individual because…"

Elisa smiled. "I think once you meet her, you'll like her." She smiled then, deciding to try to pique Demona's interest. "Besides, she's got this absolutely fabulous painting in her office."

"What sort of painting?" Demona asked.

**December 7, 1999**

**Office of Dr. Elsie Jackson, OB/GYN**

Dr. Jackson watched as Demona looked over the painting hanging up in her office. "I hope you're not offended by that," she said hesitantly.

"Offended?" Demona said, turning to look at her. "I'm envious! How did you get one of Andrea's early works?"

Dr. Jackson was taken aback by that. "You know her?"

"She and Demona are good friends," Elisa said. "Andrea even painted a picture for Angela's mating ceremony."

"Who?"

"My daughter," Demona said. "Andrea did a very beautiful painting for the ceremony."

"As a gift?" Dr. Jackson asked.

"A commission," Demona said. "Although I am certain that Andrea would have done it for free if I had asked her to." She looked over her shoulder at the painting on the wall. "And yours?"

"A birthday present," she said. "A friend of mine bought it for me."

Demona crossed her arms. "Your friend has excellent taste, " she said. She looked over at Elisa. "Detective Maza said you had some questions you would like answered. Questions about gargoyle reproductive cycles?"

"I hope you don't mind," Dr. Jackson said. "I know that in some cultures this kind of discussion is taboo, and if you're uncomfortable about this…"

"Not at all," Demona said. "Shall we get started? I'm certain you have all sorts of questions you want to ask me." She looked at Elisa. "You might want to wait outside, detective. Some of the answers may be a little graphic."

Elisa looked at her watch. "I have to get back on duty anyway, or my captain will have my head on a platter. Do you want me to stop by later to pick you up, or…"

"I'm certain I can find my way home from here," Demona said. "Besides, I suspect Dr. Jackson and I will have quite a bit to talk about afterwards."

Elisa smiled. "I told you you'd like her," she said before leaving the office.

Demona sat down in the chair opposite the doctor. "Now, where should we begin?" she asked. "Do you want to cover conception first, or the gestation period?"

**December 8, 1999**

**The Eyrie Building**

"Well, I just got the bad news," Elisa said. "After talking with Demona for most of last night, Dr. Jackson is firmly set against the idea of my having a child with Goliath." She looked over at him. "I'm sorry, Goliath."

"And there's no other way of you having a child?" Hudson asked.

"Well," Elisa said, looking over at Fox and Owen. "There is one possibility I had thought about."

Owen knew what Elisa was hinting at. "I'm sorry, detective," he said. "As you know, Oberon's rules state that I cannot perform magic except while training Alexander or protecting him from harm. Changing you into a gargoyle is something I would not be allowed to do."

"There is something else to consider," Demona said. "The elfshot Madoc shot you with earlier this year may have left some residual damage that your doctor won't be able to detect. Your doctor did say she found something unusual in your blood work-up."

"Yes," Elisa said, although she was a little surprised that Dr. Jackson would disclose that to Demona, given that it would probably violate doctor/patient confidentiality. "But she didn't think it would interfere…"

"With a normal pregnancy perhaps, detective," Demona said. "But it could interfere with what you and Goliath plan to do."

"As much as it pains me to say it, detective," Owen said. "Demona is correct. There is no way to know precisely what would happen if you were to be transformed into a gargoyle while this unknown factor remained in your system. It could cause irreparable harm not only to the child, but to yourself as well."

"Then what about changing Goliath into a human," Angela asked. This earned her a shocked look from both her father and her mother, but they understood why she asked it._ If Alex was capable of changing herself and the Trio into humans for a day so they could experience life as humans, then the same could be done for him so he could father a child with Elisa. It wasn't as if Goliath hadn't been changed into a human once already._

"Unfortunately, there are other risks involved, Miss Angela," Owen said. "Goliath's outward appearance would be changed, but not the underlying genetic material. The child would still be half gargoyle, and therefore subject to the stone sleep."

"There has to be a way," Angela said.

"None that I can see," Owen said. "There are other options available if Detective Maza is sincere in her wish to have a child, but barring magical intervention of a magnitude greater than my own, the possibility of her safely carrying a gargoyle fetus to term is nil."

Elisa looked to Demona. "Do you think it would be possible..."

"If I had that kind of power available, detective," she said. "I would do what I could to aid you." She looked at Owen. "Unfortunately, only Oberon and Titania have that level of power, and we saw what happened the last time their aid was requested."

They all knew what Demona was talking about. Those tense moments months ago when Goliath had begged Oberon and Titania to save Elisa's life following Madoc's death. If it hadn't been for Demona's use of the Bloodstone to save her...

"If you will excuse me," Owen said, turning to leave. "I have other duties to perform."

"Of course, " Goliath said as the majordomo left. He turned to the rest of the clan. "If the rest of you will excuse us," he said as he crossed over to Elisa. He draped his wing across her shoulders and led her out the door.

Elisa looked out across the city after he led her outside. Already, a light snow had fallen, blanketing the city in layer of white.

"It's beautiful, isn't it," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Elisa," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I know how much you want this. But all is not lost. As Owen said, there may be other options available. We may find another way..."

"Another way," she repeated quietly. "But how long would it take to find one?" she asked. "It's not like we can go out and..." She stopped then, and there was a gleam in her eyes, as if she had been hit by divine inspiration.

"What is it?" he asked.

Elisa looked up at him and opened her mouth to tell him, but she hesitated. _No, not yet,_ she thought. _Not until I'm sure I can go through with it. _"It's...nothing, Goliath," she said. "Just a passing thought."

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. She reached out and ran her hands over his biceps. "Listen," she said. "I've got to make a phone call. Can you wait for me inside? I'll only be a minute."

"Of course, my Elisa," he said. "May I ask..."

"Not just yet," she said. "I just...I need a little time to think, that's all."

"As you wish," he said. He drew Elisa into a quick embrace, then turned and headed back inside.

After he was out of sight, Elisa reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, pausing for a minute to look at her watch. _He probably won't be back yet, _she thought. _But if he is..._ She dialed a number and listened as she waited for someone to answer.

"Hello, this is Don Taylor," she heard as the answering machine pick up.

**4:00 AM**

**Don's apartment**

Don tossed his camera bag and duffel on the couch before pulling off his coat and shirt. He still couldn't get over the difference in the climate. Late fall, almost winter here in New York and it still felt like summer in Guatemala. At least the shoot had gone great. The construction of the new pyramid was almost completed, and Zafiro, Oro and Obsidiana had been perfect hosts. They had been suspicious at first, until they got in touch with Goliath. After that, they treated him like one of the clan, especially after he had shown them he wasn't a stranger to physical labor. _I must have moved two tons of stone that first day, _he thought. He flexed his newly tanned and well-muscled arms. _I can't wait until Delilah sees this, _he thought. _She'll go nuts._

A beeping caught his attention. He went over to his desk and looked at the answering machine. There were several messages waiting for him. He hit the 'Play' button on the machine and began listening to the messages.

"Hello, Mr. Taylor. Have you even given a thought to the future? For a small initial investment…"

He hit the 'Delete' button. _Someone wanting money again._

"Don, it's Andrea. I wanted to see if you were available for the gallery opening on the Fourth. Let me know by Thursday."

_The fourth,_ he thought. Saturday. _Sorry, Andrea. I was photographing the new rookery chamber in Guatemala on Saturday. You should have checked with Goliath or Xanatos about that. They would have told you I was still out of town._ He made a mental note to call her back.

"Mr. Taylor. This is Matt Bluestone. When you're available, we need you to come down to the station to finish up the report on…you know."

_Which report, Bluestone? _he thought. _The Newtech fire or that sorry incident with Thailog? Better call him back later._

The next two were hang-ups. He checked the Caller ID and didn't recognize the numbers. _Probably wrong numbers, _he thought._ Or someone not interested in talking to a machine._ He thought about C.Y.O.T.I., and the seemingly endless flight down to, and then back from Guatemala. _I can sympathize._

"Don, it's Andrea again."

He thought about hitting the 'Delete' button. _Sorry, Andrea, _he thought._ Out of town, remember?_ But he stopped himself. _Might as well listen to the rest._

"Goliath just reminded me about where you were. I'll want to see those pictures when you get back for Guatemala."

_Sure thing,_ he thought, smiling. He went over to the couch and opened the camera bag. He took out four rolls of film and the two memory cards for his digital camera. _I'll drop the rolls off at the developers later. And I'll download these into the computer tomorrow._ He picked up the camera bag and headed for the closet when his ears perked at the voice from the next message

"Don, it's Elisa."

He went back over to the desk and looked at the Caller ID, noting the date and time. _She must have called a little while ago, _he thought.

"Can you come to the castle after you get back? I need to ask you something."

**Eyrie Building**

It was just after sunrise and Elisa was waiting for Don when he arrived to the castle.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, giving her a quick hug and a chaste kiss on the side of her mouth. "How's it going?"

"Okay, I guess," she said.

Don looked at her, sensing that something was bothering her. "Oh really," he said, raising an eyebrow. She caught the movement.

"I never could hide anything from you," she said. "I need to talk, Don."

"About..."

She turned away from him. "You know that Derek and Maggie are expecting," she said.

"I was there when they made the announcement, remember?" he said. "I think it's great." He looked at Elisa for a moment and realized what was bothering her. "And I'm guessing it's got you thinking too, hasn't it? About what we could've had?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "I know we discussed this before you left for Saudi, and I understand your wanting to wait until after you got back..."

"But the Phoenix Gate kinda messed with those plans," he said. As soon as it became clear that he was actually going to end up in Kuwait, Don had insisted on taking precautions to ensure Elisa didn't end up pregnant before he left. He didn't want to saddle her with the responsibility of raising a child alone if something happened to him. As it was, he wasn't far off in his concerns. He stepped up to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Elisa, if you and Goliath want to have a child together, that's okay with me. You don't need to worry about how I feel. I'd be happy for the two of you."

"It's not that simple, Don," Elisa said. She turned back to face him. "Goliath and I, we...we can't."

"I don't understand," he said, thinking about his relationship with Delilah. "I thought that the DNA's were compatible."

"They are," Elisa said. "To a point. But there's also the question of carrying the child to term."

Don realized what she was taking about. "You're concerned about the stone sleep."

"Not only myself," Elisa said. "But also Dr. Jackson. She's advised against it."

"Is there another option?" he asked. "I mean Angela told me she spent a day as a human once. Couldn't the same thing be done for you? Couldn't you be changed into a gargoyle for the duration of the pregnancy?"

"We thought about that," Elisa said. "It might have been an option once, but..." Her hand drifted to her side. The scar left by Madoc's elfshot arrow had faded somewhat, but it was still there, as a reminder.. "I told you I got hurt earlier this year. What I didn't tell you how serious the injury was. It could interfere with the pregnancy."

"How bad was it?" he asked.

Elisa told him about the Unseelie War between the gargoyles and Madoc's forces. "Before we won, I was hit by an elfshot arrow meant for Angela. It almost killed me. Demona said the elfshot may have left some residual damage to my system. I can't carry a gargoyle child, Don. Not as a human, and not as a gargoyle. And Owen said even changing Goliath into a human wouldn't help, because his underlying DNA would still be that of a gargoyle. If I want a child, it's going to have to be a human child."

"And the reason you're telling me this is..." Don said, already guessing what she was about to ask him.

Elisa looked up at him. "Don," she said hesitantly. "I want you to be the father."

He took a step back, looking around to make sure the gargoyles were still in their stone sleep. "Elisa..." he started.

"Please, Don," she said. "I know that we can't have what we once did. I'm not asking for that. It wouldn't be fair to either of us, and I know both Goliath and Delilah would have a fit." She closed the distance between herself and Don. "All I'm asking is this one favor, Don. Be the father of my child. Just this once."

Don lifted his hand to her cheek and touched her briefly before withdrawing. "I'll have to think about it," he said.

Elisa caught the hand as it dropped. "Take all the time you need," she said.

**Don's apartment**

Delilah spotted Don as he stood on the roof, looking out across the city. _He's back, _she thought happily. She smiled to herself as she glided in and landed quietly on the other side of the roof. She walked up behind him and slipped her arms around him.

"Hey, lover," she purred as she kissed the back of his neck. Despite the fact that she and Don had yet to take their relationship to that level, she still thought of him as that, hopeful that one day, the two of them could make it true.

"Hi, Delilah," he said quietly.

She stepped back slightly, sensing that something was amiss. "Don, what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Elisa," he said.

"Has something happened to her?" she asked, concerned.

"No, she's all right," he said. "It's just..." He turned and faced her. "Elisa wants to have a baby."

"I know," Delilah said. "She told me a few days ago when she asked Dr. Goldblum to run a compatibility check for her and Goliath." She paused and looked at him. "Does this upset you?" she asked. "I thought that you were over her by now." She stepped back, clearly upset.

"It's not that," he said. He stepped forward and took her in his arms. "Believe me, Delilah. Nothing would make me happier than to see Elisa and Goliath together. It's something else."

Delilah reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "What is it?"

He looked into her eyes. "She wants me to be the father."

Delilah's hand dropped. She was stunned. "Why you?" she asked. "Why not Goliath? If they're to be mates..."

"There's a problem," he said. "Her doctor told her she can't risk carrying a gargoyle fetus to full-term, not in her present state. She's not even sure gargoyle and human DNA are sufficiently compatible to allow Elisa to carry one to term."

"Maybe if Alex or Puck were to change Elisa into a gargoyle for the pregnancy..." Delilah started, but Don shook his head.

"They thought about that," he said. "It's not possible. They said there was some residual damage from something called elfshot. It would keep her from safely carrying the baby during a gargoyle gestation."

"What about Goliath?" Delilah asked. "Couldn't he..." She stopped when she saw Don shaking his head again.

"His underlying DNA would still be gargoyle," he said. "Everything points to the same conclusion. Elisa can't have a child with Goliath. So she asked me to be the father."

Delilah pulled away from him. "And you agreed?"

"No," he said. "Not yet, anyway. I wanted to think it over first." He turned back to look across the city.

Delilah realized what was going on. _He's worried about how I would feel, _she thought. _He doesn't want to risk losing me over this._ She took a hesitant step towards him, realizing at that moment that he really cared for her.

"Don," she said, carefully resting her hand on his shoulder. "I know you still care about Elisa. She's my friend, too. And if you want to help her with this..." She paused when he turned to look at her. "I can't think of a better choice for her to make than to ask you."

Don brought his hand up and rested it against her cheek. "You're okay with this?" he asked. "You wouldn't mind?"

Delilah covered his hand with her own. "Maybe just a little," she said. "But like I said, Elisa is my friend. If this is something she wants, I won't stand in the way." She gave his hand a squeeze.

Don started to pull his hand away when she continued to apply pressure.

"But," she added, noting the sudden look of panic on his face. He looked at her and noted the playfulness in her eyes.

"I know, I know," he said, smiling as he pulled her back into his arms. "I promise I won't make a habit of this." He buried his face in her hair and felt her purr in contentment as he began nuzzling her neck. "I not too sure Goliath would be overly thrilled with the idea anyway."

"He wouldn't be the only one," she warned playfully.

**The Eyrie Building**

"Elisa, are you certain this is what you want?" Goliath asked.

"Believe me, Goliath," she said. She took his hands and squeezed them gently. "I want this more than anything. If there was a way the two of us could…"

"But we can't," Goliath said. Elisa had told Goliath her idea when he awakened that evening. He had taken it well, since he had long assumed that they wouldn't be able to anyway. But he was unsure about whether or not he should allow Elisa to have a child with her former love.

"Has Don agreed to this?" he asked.

"Not yet," Elisa admitted. "He said he wanted to think it over."

"But you hope that he will."

Elisa hesitated for a moment. "Yes," she said finally.

"And if he does agree to this," Goliath said. "What then? Will the two of you…"

"I…I haven't decided on that yet," she said, even though Goliath could tell by the way she looked away that she probably already had. _She wishes to be with him for this,_ he realized. _She wishes to experience one last night alone with her former love. _Part of him understood the need; conception by natural means, while still an inexact method at times even after thousands of years of evolution, was still preferable to what science had developed over the past century. It also meant that the couple developed a bond with each other during that moment of conception and that was what worried Goliath. _Don would be able to provide Elisa with something he himself could not. A child. But what if…_

"Goliath," Elisa said, reaching up to place her hands on either side of his face. "You know how I feel about you. I love you. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"I know," he said. "It's just…I am uncertain about this. What if…"

"He won't," Elisa said. "Don and I went our separate ways months ago, remember? And besides, he's happy with Delilah. I don't think he'd want to jeopardize that relationship by trying to get back together with me."

"Are you certain of this?" Goliath said.

"Yes," she said. "I know Don. He wouldn't intentionally do anything that would hurt either me or Delilah. I trust him." She looked up at Goliath. "Will you trust me?"

"Always, my Elisa," he said, hugging her tightly. After a while, he watched her depart, knowing where she was going. _I will always trust you. It is Don I am unsure about._

**Don's apartment**

Don looked over at the sleeping form of Delilah, curled up contentedly on his bed. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before getting up to get dressed.

"Where are you going?" he heard Delilah ask him sleepily.

"I'm going over to Elisa's," he said. He quickly went back to the bed and kissed her again, this time on the lips. "I promise I'll be back as quickly as I can."

"Don't be too long," she said. She yawned then and settled back onto the pillow.

He reached down and brushed a stray lock of white hair out of her face. "You'll hardly know I was gone," he said. He left the bedroom, closing the door quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping girlfriend, then quickly left the apartment.

**Elisa's apartment**

Goliath landed on the balcony and tapped on the door. Elisa quickly drew her bathrobe closed and went to answer him.

"Goliath, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I am still unsure about this, Elisa," he said. "I need to know that this is what you truly want."

"It is, Goliath," she said. "And I know that you're worried about what could happen. I understand, especially after what we went through this summer. But Don and I…we both realized it wouldn't work out between us. Too much has happened to both of us." She reached out and took Goliath's hands in her own. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Goliath sighed and pulled his hands free, bringing them up to rest on her shoulders. "Elisa, there is something I need to know."

"What is it?"

"Do you still love him?"

Elisa was surprised by the question. "What does that have to do with…"

"Do you?" Goliath repeated. "Elisa, please. I have to know."

She hesitated before answering. "Yes, Goliath," she said. "I do still love him. I don't think I would be able to do this if I didn't." She felt Goliath's hands drop from her shoulders and she quickly caught them. "But I love you too, Goliath," she quickly added. "You know I do. Goliath, what you and I have nothing can tear apart. We may have had our differences at times, but that's what comes from being in love."

"And Don?"

"Don will always be a part of my life, Goliath," she said. "I don't think you can love someone as much as I loved Don and not have that happen."

"I think I understand," Goliath said. He had the same love for Demona once. When he learned that she had survived the massacre after awakening after a thousand-year sleep, he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and make up for the years spent apart. Of course, that dream had come crashing to a halt when he realized Xanatos' deception and Demona's betrayal, but even now, after five years, there was some small part of him that still loved his Angel of the Night.

Elisa looked at the clock. It was almost seven. Don would be there shortly, and she still had a few things to take care of. She looked up at Goliath.

"Goliath…" she started, but then he placed a talon to her lips.

"I understand," he said. "You wish to be alone when he arrives. I should be going." He turned to leave.

Elisa almost called him back, but a knock at the door stopped her. She turned for a moment, irritated by the interruption, even though she knew it had to be Don, and when she turned back, Goliath was gone. She sighed heavily as she closed the patio doors and headed for the door.

Outside, Goliath stepped out of the shadows he had disappeared into and approached the patio doors.

Demona caught sight of Goliath as he stood by the doors, watching Elisa. _He's worried about her,_ she realized. _I would be too, if I were him. _She considered heading away, not wanting to disturb him, but she realized that if she left him like that, he would fume about what was going to happen all night. She headed back and approached the balcony.

She landed softly and approached him. Goliath turned as he heard her approach and his eyes almost flashed brightly as he caught sight of her.

"What do you want, Demona?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just came to talk."

"Elisa is...occupied," he said. They heard the knock at the door and Demona watched as Elisa invited Don in. She hugged him briefly and Demona heard Goliath softly growl. _This is not going to work, _she thought. _They need their privacy, and they won't get that with Goliath watching every move they make._

"I didn't come to talk to the detective, Goliath," Demona said. "I came to talk to you. Goliath," she said softly as she rested her hand on his shoulder. "You are not making this easier on yourself." When Goliath turned to glare at her, she quickly pulled her hand away. "What are you afraid for?"

"I fear..." he started. "I fear that I may lose her to him. Again."

"You have nothing to fear from him, Goliath," Demona said. "Elisa..." She paused when Goliath turned to look at her again. _She never called her 'Elisa', _he thought.

"Elisa does love him," she said, knowing it wasn't what Goliath wanted to hear. Then she rested her hand on his shoulder again. This time he didn't turn on her and she was encouraged by that. "But you know that she loves you too."

"And why should you care?" Goliath said. "I would think you would rejoice over this."

"At one time, perhaps," she said. "But not now. Not after everything that has happened this year. Not after..." She paused as she looked past Goliath into the apartment. "You know that Don and I were lovers."

The look of shock on Goliath's face told her that he didn't. "I had no idea," he said. "I know that you and he were close, but I never imagined…"

"It happened several months ago," she said. "I knew that I felt something for him after the fire at Newtech, but it wasn't until some time later that I realized I was in love with him. I had been in love with a human only once before, Goliath, and that was with Michel, so I know the feeling." She sighed heavily. "Don and I would still be together if not for Thailog." She looked up at her former mate. "Believe me, Goliath. I know and understand what you are going through. You told me once that I no longer knew the meaning of the word 'love'. That isn't true anymore. I do know what it is to love and to be loved. Angela has shown me the way back, and Don…" She paused for a moment as she let the words sink in. "Don has helped me rediscovered what true love is again." She reached up hesitantly and touched his cheek. "I can show you."

Goliath drew back, shocked. "What!"

"I want…" she started, but paused as she reconsidered her words. "I mean, I would like a chance to be your Angel of the Night one last time, Goliath. One night together is all I'm asking."

"One night…" he started.

"Don and Elisa are sharing one last night together as lovers," she said. "I would like the same chance with you, Goliath. One last night together as mates. Please." She stepped away from him slowly, then took his hands and began drawing him to a darkened area of the balcony. Goliath didn't resist.

Elisa took a deep breath before opening the door and letting Don in.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I was wondering if you were ever going to let me in."

"You know I would have eventually," she said as she stepped up to him and gave him a quick hug. Surprised, Don nonetheless responded by putting his arms around her. After a moment, Elisa pulled back, breaking the embrace, but held on to his hands as she stepped back. "Have you decided?" she asked.

"I have," he said. "I'll do it."

Elisa smiled widely. "Thank you," she said. She stepped forward and pulled him into another embrace.

"So how do you want to do this?" he asked. "I know a couple of clinics that specialize in in vitro fertilization…"

Elisa stepped back, surprised, and then realized what he was suggesting. _Artificial insemination,_ she thought. That was a possibility she had considered, but she was surprised that Don had thought of it as well. _But it's not what I want, _she thought. _Not now._

"What?" he said, seeing the look on her face.

"Don, I was thinking that the two of us could…" She paused, leaving the words unsaid as she stepped forward and ran her hands up his chest.

Don backed away from her. "Elisa," he started. "I…I can't!"

"Don, please," Elisa said. "You said that you would help me."

"I did," he said. "And I will. But not like this."

"I thought that you loved me," she said.

"You know that I do," Don said. "And you have no idea how much I want to do this. But I can't, Elisa. I won't betray your trust like this."

"Even if this is what I want?" she countered.

"I know you _think_ you want this, Elisa," he said. "But…"

"It is," she said. "Don, please. I'm not looking to start our relationship over again, not this time. All I'm asking is this one last night together and a chance to have what we should have had before you disappeared. I want this, and I want you to be a part of it."

"And Goliath?" he said. "Does he know what's going on?"

"He does," she said, sighing. "And believe me, he has the same reservations about this that you do. But he understands that this is what I want." She paused as she looked at him. "Don, please. Do this, for me."

Don looked into her eyes, seeing the need there. _She truly wants this,_ he thought. _And you never could say 'No' to her, could you? _He slowly put his arms around her. "Are you absolutely certain about this?" he asked.

Elisa unzipped his jacket and began pushing it off his shoulders. "I am," she said softly. She felt his arms drop for a moment to allow the jacket to come off and then helped him out of his shirt before she felt his arms around her waist again. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him into a kiss.

Don resisted, his attention drifting towards the patio doors.

"What is it?" she asked, noting his hesitation.

"I think maybe we should take this upstairs," he said. He could have sworn he heard something outside on the balcony, but he didn't want to worry her.

"Okay," she said. She started to turn towards the stairs, but then felt him pick her up into his arms. She cried out in surprise, but she didn't try to get away. _This is the way things should have been, _she thought. She put her arms around his neck and held on as he carried her upstairs.

Cagney looked up in disinterest at the two humans heading upstairs before getting up from the couch and disappearing into the kitchen.

Don found the door to the bedroom slightly ajar, and he pushed it open, carrying Elisa inside. He set her down next to the bed and paused before putting his arms around her again.

As she felt him embrace her, Elisa reached around his neck and pulled him into a long, lingering kiss. She smiled inwardly at the taste of salt and cashews on his lips, realizing that he must have been snacking on the way here. She broke the kiss after a moment and looked down as she felt Don's hands move from her waist to drift towards the belt of her bathrobe. He gave the knot a slight tug and it came loose, allowing the robe to open. She looked up again to see what his reaction would be.

She was wearing the teddy, the one she had worn in the picture she had sent to him so many years ago. For some reason, she had never discarded it, since she had bought it solely for him as part of his 'Welcome Home' gift. _Maybe because, deep down, you never gave up hope of seeing him again, _she thought to herself._ Even after you fell in love with Goliath._

Don inhaled sharply as he took in the sight before him. The photograph hadn't done her justice. The black cotton fabric molded itself perfectly to her shapely body. _Whoa! _he thought. He resisted the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming and slowly caressed her.

Her headed lolled back as he bent his head forward and placed a very tender kiss on the side of her neck, the first of many that night.

_To be continued…_


	2. Part Two

New Beginnings

Part Two

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

_Previously…_

Elisa snuggled closer to Goliath, allowing him to envelop her in his wings as they sat on the sofa in front of the fire. She was happy, and Goliath was as well.

"Soon the New Year will be upon us," he said. "Any thoughts about the coming year?"

"Actually, I'm still trying to recover from Thanksgiving," she said. "So much has happened this year, what with Don coming back and what's going on now between him and Delilah, Angela and Broadway finally getting married. Madoc. Thailog." She paused, sighing. "I think I want to wait a while before looking ahead to next year. Although…" She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "I have been thinking about Derek and Maggie."

"And their coming offspring," Goliath said. Dr. Goldblum had run the test as he had promised and the results were positive. Maggie was indeed pregnant.

"Yeah, and it got me thinking," she said.

"Elisa?"

"I want us to have a child, Goliath," she said.

Dr. Jackson sat back in her chair. "I always knew you were a strange one, Elisa," she said. "But I never thought…" She sighed heavily before continuing. "To be honest, if you're serious about this, I'm going to have to recommend against a pregnancy."

"I can't carry a gargoyle child, Don. Not as a human, and not as a gargoyle…If I want a child, it's going to have to be a human child."

"And the reason you're telling me this is..." Don said, already guessing what she was about to ask him.

Elisa looked up at him. "Don," she said hesitantly. "I want you to be the father."

Her headed lolled back as he bent down and placed a very tender kiss on the side of her neck, the first of many that night.

_New Beginnings Part One_

New Beginnings Part Two

**December 11, 1999**

**Elisa's apartment**

Elisa woke up slowly and looked over her shoulder. _He's still here,_ she thought. She'd almost convinced herself that last night was just a pleasant dream, but Don's presence in her bed, with his arm wrapped casually around her bare waist was enough to dispel those thoughts. She smiled as she looked towards the window. _Morning, _she noted. _I really should get up._ She carefully lifted Don's arm off of her and slipped out from underneath the covers, then gathered up her bathrobe before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower.

The water was warm and felt wonderful against her skin. For a brief moment, she wished that Don were awake and in the shower with her, as he usually was when they were living together at the old apartment so many years ago._ But that was another lifetime ago, _she reminded herself. _We can't ever go back to the way things were. _It saddened her somewhat, but she knew that the choices they both made months ago were the right ones. _I just hope this one was, too._

She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, then paused to look at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. For a brief moment, she was curious about an odd sensation she had felt earlier, when she and Don had joined. _Probably just nerves,_ she thought. _I've been worried about this for days, wondering what was going to happen, what Goliath was going to think. I'm probably worrying over nothing. But still... _She opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the pregnancy test she had bought the day before. She glanced over the directions for a second before starting to rip open the box, then stopped.

"Like you're actually going to find out now," she told herself as she put the box back into the medicine cabinet. She was going to have to wait at least another week or so to find out if she had succeeded in getting herself pregnant. She quickly dried herself, then pulled the bathrobe on before leaving the bathroom.

Elisa paused for a moment as she stepped into the bedroom, looking at the bed. Don was still on the bed, only now he had rolled over onto his back and was starting to open his eyes.

"Elis'," he said groggily as he started to wake up.

Elisa went over to the bed and leaned down. "Shhh," she said quietly as she kissed him on the cheek. "Go back to sleep."

When he settled back into the pillows and drifted off again, Elisa quietly left the bedroom and headed downstairs.

There was a tapping on the patio doors.

"Now, who could that be?" Elisa wondered as she headed to the doors. She opened one and jumped back, startled.

"Can I come in, detective?" Dominique asked, rubbing her arms.

"Demona, what are you doing here?"

"Freezing my butt off," she said. "Do you mind?"

Elisa moved aside as the gargoyle-turned-human hurried into the warmth of the apartment. Elisa quickly picked up Don's jacket from the floor and draped it over the other woman's shoulders.

"Thank you, detective," Dominique said as she pulled it tight around her. "You have no idea how cold it is out there."

"I thought gargoyles didn't feel the cold," Elisa said jokingly.

Dominique turned to glare at her. "In case you hadn't noticed, detective," she said. "I am not a gargoyle right now. In this form, I feel the cold just like any other human."

"Sorry," Elisa apologized. She headed for the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. "So what happened? Couldn't make it home in time and decided to find a spot to spend the day?"

"No," she said. "Actually, I've been outside on your patio most of the night."

"What?" Elisa said, surprised. "Why?"

"Goliath needed to be…distracted," she said.

"Goliath's outside?" Elisa asked. She went to the patio doors and opened them long enough to take a quick peek outside. She couldn't see him. "Where is he?"

"He's not out there," Dominique said. "He went back to the castle shortly before dawn."

Elisa closed the doors and turned to look at Dominique. "What do you mean Goliath needed to be distracted?"

"He was outside on the patio last night," she said. "Watching the two of you…"

Elisa hung her head. "I was afraid of that."

"If I hadn't come along when I did," Dominique said. "He probably would have interrupted the two of you at the worst possible moment."

"And you distracted him by…" Elisa asked, although she suspected she knew exactly how Demona had diverted Goliath's attention.

The other woman looked up at her. "I know what you are implying, detective. And you are correct. Goliath and I did what you and Don were no doubt doing upstairs. I believe I was entitled to it. And you shouldn't be passing judgement on me for doing what you did as well."

"I'm not passing judgement, Demona," Elisa said. "I'm just a little surprised is all."

"Surprised by what?" she asked.

"That you and Goliath would…" She hesitated, trying not to sound harsh. "I mean, after all that's happened between you two, all the fighting and arguing…"

Dominique sighed. "I do still care for him, detective," she said. "I may have forgotten that for a while, but I do."

"You're not trying to…"

Her eyes shot upwards, locking on to Elisa. "No," Dominique said. "As you said, too much has happened between us that it would be impossible for Goliath and I to get back together. I've accepted the fact the he…that Goliath loves you, and nothing I do is going to change that." She took a sip of the coffee, then smiled at Elisa. "I must say though, it seems you may have taught Goliath a few things I hadn't thought possible."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Elisa stammered, even as her mind reeled at the thought of what Goliath and Demona had done while she and Don were upstairs.

"I think you do," she said. "Shall I go into detail?"

"I…" Elisa started, but then she heard the upstairs bedroom door open, and she turned as she heard Don moving towards the stairs. Dominique quickly got to her feet and headed for the patio door.

"What..." Elisa started.

"Please, don't tell him that I'm here, detective," she said quietly as she took off the jacket. "I...I'm not sure I can face him just yet."

"Why?" Elisa asked. "What happened..."

But Dominique was already through the door and had it closed before Elisa could ask her why she was so hesitant about seeing Don. _Something happened between them during the break-up, _she realized. But whatever it was, Demona wasn't about to talk about it just yet. She stood up as she heard Don come down the stairs.

"Good morning," Don said, yawning.

"Morning, yourself," she said. "I'm surprised to see you up." She looked him over. "And dressed."

"You know me, Elisa," he said. "I'm usually up by this time." He looked towards the patio doors. "I thought I heard someone else down here."

Elisa cast a quick eye towards the doors. "Nah," she said. "That was probably just the TV."

Don looked at the TV. "TV's off."

"There wasn't anything good on," Elisa said quickly.

"If you say so," he said, although Elisa could tell by the look in his eye that he didn't believe her. He looked at his watch. "Listen, I've got to run. I told Dee that I wasn't going to be long when I came over here, and by now she's..."

"Probably sleeping like a rock," Elisa said.

"Yeah," Don said. "The point is, I need to be there when she wakes up tonight. Let her know what happened. I just hope she won't be too upset."

"Do you want me to come over later, just in case?" Elisa asked.

"No," Don said. "I'm pretty sure you're going to have someone else to talk to about what went on last night."

Elisa knew he was talking about Goliath, and she had a feeling he was right. She waited until Don retrieved his jacket, which Dominique had dropped by the patio door as she went out, before walking him to the door and showing him out. After he was gone, she quickly crossed back to the patio doors and let Dominique back inside.

"I guess you heard," Elisa said, seeing the look of sadness on her face.

"Yes," Dominique said. "Do you know how long they've been...together?"

"Only a couple of weeks," Elisa said. "Don told me that he and Delilah started seeing each other just a few days before Thanksgiving. But he told me that they haven't...you know...'slept' together...yet."

"Why not?" Dominique asked. "Are they having problems?"

"No," she said. "Don just wants to take things slow this time. He doesn't want things to end up like before, when you and he..." She paused, looking at the redhead. "What did happen between you two?" she asked. "If you don't mind my asking?"

"I do mind, detective," Dominique said, trying to hide the wavering in her voice. "It is something that is best left between myself and Don." She paused as she looked at the door. "Are they happy together?" she asked, then looked at Elisa. "If you don't mind _my_ asking?"

"I think they are," Elisa said. "At least, that's the impression I got when Delilah..." She paused for a moment as she looked at Dominique. "When she...kissed him."

"They deserve each other," Dominique said quietly. She turned and caught the questioning look on Elisa's face. "Delilah needs someone who will love her, and Don can give her that love. And Don..." She hesitated then, sighing. "He deserves better..."

"Demona," Elisa said quickly. "Don't do this to yourself."

"I have to, detective," she said. "As much as I want to, I can't allow myself to get close to him again. Not after what Thailog tried to do to him..."

"Don told me about that," Elisa said. "But that's still no reason..."

"It is reason enough," Dominique snapped. She paused for a minute. "Detective, I truly do not want to get into this right now. When the time comes, I will settle things between Don and myself, but not before." She paused for a second. "What I could use right now is a ride home." She looked down at herself. "And a change of clothes. I assume you do have something other than blue jeans and t-shirts."

"I'll see if I can find you something," Elisa said as she headed up the stairs. She paused as she watched Dominique head into the kitchen. _Whatever's going on between those two, I just wish one of them would open up to someone. It's not doing either of them any good. And it's only going to cause problems later on._

**December 12, 1999**

**Manhattan General Hospital**

"So, how soon before I can go home?" Kate asked.

Dr. Sato looked up from the chart, pausing as he looked at the snowy-haired gargoyle that stood by her bedside. "You can leave any time you like," he said. "You've healed enough that you can be released, so long as you take it easy for a while." He looked at the gargoyle. "You will see to it that she gets plenty of rest...Delilah, isn't it?"

"Yes," Delilah said. "I'll make sure that she does."

They waited until Dr. Sato left before Kate turned her attention to Delilah. "So," she said. "What's he like?"

"Who?" Delilah asked.

"This guy I hear you've been seeing," Kate said. "Danny told me yesterday that you have a new boyfriend. What's he like? And how did you meet him?"

Delilah blushed slightly before sitting down in the chair by the bed. "Don's nice," she said. "He's wonderful and caring. He listens to me, instead of ordering me around like Thailog used to. And when I'm with him..."

"Whoa, whoa!" Kate said quickly. "I don't think I want to hear what he's like between the sheets just yet."

"Actually, we...haven't gone that far...yet," Delilah said, sounding just a little bit upset by that. "Don's still getting over his break-up with Demona and..."

"Wait, you mean Don _Taylor?_" Kate gasped. "That's the guy you're seeing?"

"Yes," Delilah said. "We started...seeing each other...a few weeks after Demona broke off her relationship with him." She paused for a moment. "You knew they were seeing each other?"

"Only a few people at work knew," Kate said. "But I didn't know that they broke up. I mean, I thought that they really had a good thing going there."

"They did," Delilah said. "But after what happened with Thailog, Demona was afraid that he would try to hurt Don, so she ended her relationship with him."

"That's too bad," Kate said. "I saw them together a couple of times, having lunch at one of the restaurants by the Park, and..." She paused, looking at Delilah. "I really thought they were a set item." She paused again, seeing how uncomfortable Delilah was about the subject. "But I guess he's with you now," she said.

"Yes, he is," Delilah said quickly. "And I am happy that he is. It's just..."

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked.

Delilah looked at her, wondering if she should tell her friend about what happened between Don and Elisa. And herself and Angela. "It's nothing," she said.

"If you say so," Kate said, even as she began to wonder about what could make her friend so uneasy. "Well, I'm ready to get out of here," she said. "I know that you've probably taken real good care of Danny while I was in here, but I bet he's real anxious to see his mother again."

"You have no idea how anxious he is to go home," Delilah said. "The TV reception down in the Sanctuary is terrible, and the cable keeps going out. He can't wait to get home to a real TV again."

The two enjoyed a brief laugh as Kate got ready to go home again.

**December 15, 1999**

**Andrea Calhoun's apartment**

Andrea set down her brush as she heard the doorbell ring. "Just a minute," she called out. Quickly removing her smock and tossing it aside, she hurried to the door, pausing for a minute to look through the peephole before opening the door.

"Dominique, what are you doing here?" she asked cheerfully.

Dominique Destine smiled at the young artist. It amused her a bit that, even though Andrea knew about her true nature now, she still insisted on calling her 'Dominique'. She was in fact one of the few people who knew about her dual identity and referred to her by her human one. "I...came to see how you were doing," the redhead said. She looked at the young artist's left arm, noting that she no longer wore the brace. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," Andrea said. "The doctors say my arm is completely healed. In another week, you won't even be able to tell that it was ever broken." She paused for a second as she considered the redhead. "Won't you come in? I can fix some tea."

"I don't want to be a bother, Andrea," Dominique said, seeing a touch of blue paint on Andrea's cheek. "I can see that you're probably busy..."

"It's no bother, Dominique," she said. "Really. I could use the company. And I haven't had a chance to see or talk to you since you got back from Paris." Andrea stepped aside and beckoned her in. Dominique hesitantly entered the apartment. "By the way," Andrea added. "I want to thank you for helping me get this place."

"You're welcome," Dominique said, taking a moment to look around. The apartment Andrea now lived in was larger than her old one, and it had a state-of-the-art security system. At first, Andrea was reluctant to move out of her old apartment, but all it took was a reminder of how easily Jackal and Hyena broke in to kidnap her to convince Andrea that it was time to move. She wasn't sure she would be able to afford a new apartment, especially the one Dominique had chosen for her, but Dominique helped out a second time by using her influence to bargain the building association down to a reasonable rate.

Andrea headed into the kitchen and put a pot of water on to boil for tea as Dominique looked around the apartment. She paused as she saw a picture on a shelf of Andrea, Angela and Delilah together.

"Where did this come from?" she asked.

Andrea came back into the living room and saw Dominique holding the picture. "Oh, Don took that picture a few days before Thanksgiving," she said, then she sighed heavily. "It's a shame, really," she said.

That caught Dominique's attention. "What's a shame?" she asked.

"Angela and Delilah," Andrea said. "I always thought that, since they were sisters and such good friends, that nothing could break them apart."

"They ended their friendship?" Dominique asked. "When was this?"

"I guess around Thanksgiving," Andrea said. "That's when Angela found out that Delilah and Don..." She paused as she looked at Dominique. "But you wouldn't know about that."

"About Don and Delilah being together?" Dominique said. "Yes, I know. Detective Maza told me about it a few days ago."

"But you haven't heard that it's caused some problems between Angela and Delilah," Andrea said.

"No, I haven't," Dominique said. She set the picture down and approached the young artist. "Tell me."

Andrea sat down on the couch and Dominique joined her. "I guess the big thing is that Angela really thought that you and Don were going to be able to patch things up eventually. Angela's mad at Delilah because she thinks that Dee didn't give you and Don that chance."

"I guess I'm going to have to talk to her about it," Dominique said. "I really should have considered how Angela would feel about my breaking up with Don. Had I known this would happen, I probably would have done things differently."

"You know how the saying goes, Dom," Andrea said. "'No use crying over spilled milk.' The only thing you can do is try and clean up the mess."

"And it appears that I have a considerable mess to deal with," Dominique said. She sighed. "I seem to be doing that a lot lately."

"Doing what?" Andrea asked.

"Trying to clean up my own messes," she said. "Making up for past mistakes. If I had known a thousand years ago that everything I was going to do I was going to end up regretting later, I doubt very much if I would taken the path that I did."

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over this, Dom," Andrea said. "The fact that you're trying to put things right now says a lot."

"I know," she said. "But it still doesn't change the fact that I've done some awful things in my time. I doubt very much if I'll ever be able to make up for all of it."

"You just have to take things one step at a time, Dom," Andrea said. "I know that not everyone is going to forgive you for what you did, but you can at least make the effort. You know that I've already forgiven you for what happened to Helen."

"And I want to thank you for that."

"I should thank you," Andrea said. "For that lovely memorial you had made for her. I think she would have liked it."

"I just wanted to do something to help ease the loss," Dominique said. "I know how much you cared for her."

"I did," Andrea said. "As much as I care for you now, Dom." She reached over and gave Dominique a long hug, which was returned by the older woman. When they parted, there was the hint of a tear in Dominique's eyes.

"Hey, let's not get maudlin now," Andrea quipped, even as she sniffed back a few tears of her own. "This is supposed to be a festive time of the year. Speaking of which, wait'll you hear who's going to be doing the Santa bit down at the Sanctuary this Christmas."

"Who?" Dominique asked.

Andrea told her.

"Oh, I have got to see that!" Dominique said.

**December 18, 1999**

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Candice looked up as she saw Kate Roswell heading towards the CEO's office. Kate paused as she saw Candice smile at her.

"Welcome back," Candice said. "It's been a while."

"Too long it seems," Kate said. "Is she in?"

"Yes," Candice said. "But she's with someone right now. If you can wait a few minutes..."

At that moment, the door to Dominique's office opened and the Nightstone CEO looked outside.

"I thought I heard your voice, Kate," she said. "Won't you come in?"

Kate quickly entered the office and paused as she heard Dominique close the door behind her. She saw another woman sitting in a chair by the desk.

"Andrea, this is Kate Roswell," Dominique said. "Kate, this is Andrea Calhoun."

Kate was slightly surprised to meet the young artist. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said. "I've seen your work. Very good."

"Thank you," Andrea said. "Dominique has told me a lot about you. You're Delilah's friend?"

That caught Kate by surprise. "You know her?"

"We...met under some rather...intense...circumstances," Andrea said, rubbing her left arm. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

"I think I do," Kate said. She dimly remembered trying to fight off Jackal and Hyena when they broke into her apartment to kidnap Danny. After that, she couldn't remember much else until she woke up in the hospital several weeks later. "Were you the one that watched over Danny until you were rescued?" she asked.

"For a little while, yeah," Andrea said. "He's a nice kid, too. Very friendly and polite. Makes me wish I could have one of my own one of these days."

Kate smiled at Andrea. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him," she said.

"Well, I can't take all the credit," Andrea said. "Delilah was there. And Dominique."

"I guess I should thank you too," she said to Dominique.

"I couldn't very well let the son of one of my employees come to harm, now could I?" she quipped. "It's lousy for company morale."

"I guess," Kate said. "Well, I want to thank you anyway. You've done so much for my son and me that I'll never be able to repay you properly."

Dominique looked over at Andrea. "Oh, I could think of something you could do," she said. "Are you feeling up to returning to your drawing board, Miss Roswell? I have a few ideas I'd like to throw your way."

"And here I thought I was going to get the week off," she said, sighing as she sat and began listening to Dominique's ideas.

**December 20, 1999**

**Elisa's apartment**

Don sat in the living room, waiting patiently while Elisa was upstairs in the bathroom, taking 'The Test'. It worried him a bit, knowing that Elisa wanted him to find out first before anyone else, but since Goliath and the clan were still asleep at the castle, he knew that he was the logical choice to be there in case things didn't work out as planned. _I only hope it does, _he thought.

The soft fall of footsteps on the stairs drew his attention. He looked up to see Elisa coming down the stairs, a small strip of plastic clutched between her fingers.

"Elisa?" he said, seeing the look on her face, but he couldn't tell if it was surprise or shock.

She looked at him for a second before a smile began to spread across her face. "It's positive," she said. "I'm pregnant."

"Are you certain?" he asked, getting up from the couch and heading for the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, I do need to see Dr. Jackson to make it official," she said. "But according to this..." She held up the small strip of plastic as she reached the bottom of the stairs and handed it to him. "I am."

Don looked at the small square indents on the face of the plastic. One was an indicator for 'Negative', and would have had a 'minus' sign showing if Elisa was not expecting, and the other, which now had a 'plus' sign prominently displayed, was the indicator for a 'Positive' result. He couldn't help but smile at her. Elisa was indeed pregnant. He wrapped his arms around her waist and joyfully lifted her off her feet, whirling her around.

"Whoa! Easy, Don," she laughed. After he set her down on her feet, she paused for a minute to catch her breath. "I still have to go see Dr. Jackson for a blood test," she said. "Just to be certain."

"But I thought..." he started, pausing as he looked at the small strip of plastic.

"You know that a home pregnancy test is only a way to find out initially, Don," Elisa said. "But I still need to see the doc. She has to do a blood test to determine for sure if I'm carrying a child." She smiled up at him. "Of course, we could always wait to see if I start expanding around the middle and begin craving weird cravings for ice cream and sardines." Her face drew up in a grimace. "Yuck!" she said as she shuddered.

"I don't think you should wait that long," Don said, smiling. "See the doc, Elisa. Then you can break the news to Goliath and the rest of the clan."

"I'll make an appointment to see her first thing tomorrow morning," Elisa said. "But right now, I feel like celebrating. How about I order a pizza with extra anchovies?"

Don's eyes went wide, then narrowed as he caught the playful smile on her face.

"Gotcha!" she laughed.

He shook his head in amusement. "One of these days, Elisa. I swear, eventually I gonna pay you back for all the times you've done that to me."

"Dream on, pal," she said as she headed for the phone.

**December 22, 1999**

**Office of Dr. Elsie Jackson, OB/GYN**

Elisa sat in the chair, fidgeting again.

"What is it about this office that makes you so nervous?" Diane asked.

"It's not this office, Mom," she said. "I'm just anxious, that's all."

"Worried about what she might tell you?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "I mean, I know what the results are going to be, that I'm pregnant. But I've got to be sure."

"Worried about what might happen if you're not and you have to go through this all over again?"

"I'm worried that Goliath'll say no if we have to," Elisa said. "And Delilah? I don't even want to think about what she'll do to Don if we do."

"Then I guess we better hope the results are positive then," Diane said.

They waited a few more minutes before Dr. Jackson came back to her office.

"So what's the verdict?" Elisa asked.

Dr. Jackson sat down and opened the file. "Elisa, you know how I feel about this," she said. "I just wish you'd consulted me further before…" She hesitated for a moment. "The results are positive," she said. "You are pregnant. It's still too early to make an accurate guess about when, but since you came up negative during your last visit, I'd say you're at least two weeks along. That still gives us enough time..."

"Enough time?" Elisa asked. "Enough time for what?" When Dr. Jackson hesitated, Elisa knew what she was thinking about. "Wait a minute," Elisa said. "You're not suggesting that I abort this kid, are you?"

"Elisa, we discussed this the last time you were here," she said. "I can't in good conscience recommend that you carry this fetus to full term. The risk involved in a Human/Gargoyle conception…"

"You haven't told her?" Diane asked her daughter.

Elisa looked at her mother. _I completely forgot, _she thought. She'd been so worried about Goliath and Don that she neglected to tell her own doctor about her decision.

"Told me what?" the doctor asked.

"The father is human," Elisa said. "I…guess I forgot to tell you."

Dr. Jackson sighed. "Well, that's a relief," she said. She took out a pen and made a notation on Elisa's record. "May I ask the particulars?"

"Such as…" Elisa said.

"Did you use artificial methods," she asked. "Or did you…"

"It was someone I trust," Elisa said. "It was Don."

"Who?" she asked.

"Don Taylor," Elisa said. "He's...someone I was very close to once."

"Are you talking about the pilot that was rescued from Iraq earlier this year?" Dr. Jackson asked.

Elisa hesitated before answering. "Yeah," she said finally. "Although what really happened to him and what the media's been told are two entirely different stories."

"Really?" she said, curious.

"And believe me, doc," Elisa continued, seeing the gleam of curiosity in the female doctor's eyes. "You wouldn't believe what really happened."

"Elisa, three weeks ago, you brought in a gargoyle so I could get an idea about their reproductive cycles," Dr. Jackson said. "Believe me, there's nothing you can tell me that I'd find hard to believe. You could tell me that the Loch Ness Monster is real and I'd believe you."

Elisa looked at her mother. "Funny you should mention that," she said.

**The Eyrie Building**

Elisa watched as Goliath and the rest of the clan awoke from their stone sleep. She stepped up to him as he turned and spotted her. The smile on her face brightened his mood immediately.

"Good evening, Elisa," he said. "I take it you have pleasant news."

"I do," she said. The rest of the clan gathered around her as she took a deep breath. "Well, it's official," she continued. "I'm pregnant."

"Elisa-chan, that's wonderful," Sata said. She gave Elisa a quick hug.

"Congratulations, lass," Hudson added.

"Yeah, congrats," Brooklyn put in.

"So what's it going to be," Broadway asked. "A boy or a girl?"

"Broadway, I've only been pregnant for two weeks," Elisa said. "It's too early to tell what sex it is."

"What are you hoping for?" Angela asked.

Elisa looked at Goliath, noting the smile on his face. "I don't know. I'd like to have a daughter, but I'd be just as happy with a son."

Brooklyn smiled as he glanced over at Sata. "Of course, you could end up with one of each."

"Oh, please don't say that, Brooklyn," Elisa said. "I'll have enough to do with just one baby without having to worry about a second one."

Goliath chose that moment to step forward. "If you will excuse us," he said, wrapping his arm around Elisa's shoulder. "Elisa and I have a lot to talk about."

The rest of the clan parted as Goliath and Elisa began walking towards a secluded spot near the base of the tower.

"I hope you're not upset," Elisa said. "After all that's happened this year, I'd hate to think…"

"I am not upset, Elisa," he said, resting a talon on her lips. "I am happy for you."

"You should be happy for us, Goliath," Elisa said. "I know you had reservations about this from the start, but believe me, I want you to think of this child as ours, not just mine."

"But Don…"

"Is the biological father," Elisa said. "I know. But you and I are going to be mates, Goliath. Nothing is going to change that." She rested her hand on her belly. "You know I still love Don and that he still loves me, but we both know that you and I are destined for each other. This." She paused as she reached out and captured Goliath's hand, then brought it to rest against her belly. "This is his gift to us. Given out of the love he has for me. I hope you're willing to accept it as our own."

Elisa took her hand away, noting that Goliath kept his pressed against her as she did. She smiled as she looked up at him.

Goliath could almost feel the new life growing within her. Ever since he learned that Angela was his true daughter, he had begun learning what he could about the miracle of birth, in hopes that someday he would be able to repeat the process. Humans put a great deal of emphasis on the raising their young, more so than gargoyles did since it took ten years for gargoyle eggs to hatch. Gargoyle children were raised by the clan. Human children were raised by their own parents, developing a bond that could never be broken. To know that he was going to share that experience with Elisa, that she _wanted_ him to share in that, filled him with joy and love. Love for Elisa. Love for _their _child. He would gladly accept this gift.

He smiled and pulled Elisa into a tender embrace. "I accept, my Elisa," he said.

Overhead, the little red light on the security camera went out. In his office, David Xanatos and Fox shared a knowing smile as the screen went blank.

"Think we should go out there and offer our congratulations to the lucky couple?" Xanatos asked his wife.

"I think we should hold off on it for a while," Fox said. "They looked like they wanted some time alone. Besides, I was on my way out to do some shopping."

"I thought you were done Christmas shopping," he said.

"I was," Fox said with a gleam in her eye. "Up until a few minutes ago." She gave her husband a long kiss before grabbing her purse and heading for the door. As he watched her leave, Xanatos wondered just how much damage she was going to do to his credit limit this time.

"A woman with a credit card and a multi-million dollar spending limit," he said. "Has got to be the most dangerous creature on the face of the earth."

**December 24, 1999**

**Christmas Eve**

**The Eyrie Building**

Fox sat in the cockpit of the helicopter, doing a final pre-flight check as she watched her husband talking to Goliath.

"Are you certain you cannot join us, Xanatos?" Goliath asked.

"I'm sure, Goliath," Xanatos said. "I promised my pop that we'd be spending Christmas with him this year, and you know how stubborn my father can be."

Goliath couldn't help but smile. "It is good that you and Fox have chosen to spend this time with your family," he said. "Holidays are a time when family members should be together as one."

"True enough," Xanatos said. "And they say that miracles do happen during this time of the year. I wonder what we can expect this year."

"One would think that they should," Goliath said. "But sometimes I wonder if that is true anymore."

"Of course it is," Fox said as she stepped out of the helicopter. "Remember what happened the first Christmas we spent together under one roof? We got through an entire evening together without one of us trying to kill someone else. Not to mention the fact that Demona was here, and look at her now."

"And don't forget," Xanatos said. "You and Elisa have your own Christmas gift to look forward to." Goliath knew that Xanatos was referring to Elisa unborn child. "And believe me, there's nothing more miraculous than the miracle of new life."

"Strange words coming from you, Xanatos," Goliath said in surprise.

"Just call me sentimental," he said. "Christmas always seems to bring out the best in me."

"One would hope that it lasts," Goliath said.

"Keep hoping," Xanatos said. He stretched out his hand and Goliath gave it a hearty shake. "Just remember," he added as Owen came forward with Alexander and handed the child to his father. "Owen will be here if you need anything. See you in a few days." With that, Xanatos followed his wife to the waiting helicopter and departed into the night sky.

"Will you be requiring anything this evening?" Owen asked.

"No," Goliath said. "The rest of the clan will be departing for the Sanctuary after preparations for the dinner are completed. I am to meet Elisa at her apartment and take her there myself. She said she had some things to...discuss with me."

"Understood," Owen said. He turned and left, leaving Goliath to smile as he thought about Elisa.

**Elisa's apartment**

"It was nice of you two to invite us to spend some time with you guys before we head over to the Labyrinth for Christmas dinner," Don said. He smiled as he felt Delilah settle against him while Elisa curled up next to Goliath on the couch. The rest of the clan were already heading for the Sanctuary, but Elisa had called Don and Delilah over to her apartment so that the two of them could spend some time together with her and Goliath.

"It seemed like a good idea," Elisa said. "After all, we are family. And that's what Christmas is all about. Family."

"Pretty much," Don said. His gaze drifted to Goliath, who was initially upset at seeing Don at Elisa's apartment when he arrived, but his mood improved when he saw Don pull Delilah into a tender embrace, instead of Elisa. "I was kinda worried about how you were going to react to this, Goliath," he said. He felt a slight nudge from the hybrid clone in his arms. "Not to mention you, Dee," he quickly added. "I mean, Elisa told me that you had reservations about this."

"You have given us a precious gift, Don," Goliath said. "Any reservations I may have had were dispelled when Elisa asked me to look on this gift as our own."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Don said before turning his attention towards Delilah. "What about you, sweetheart?" he asked. "How do you feel about all this?"

She shifted in his arms, smiling at Elisa and Goliath for a moment before turning her attention to Don. "I remember the night you made the decision to do this," she said. "You asked me first how I felt about this and I told you then that I couldn't think of a better choice for Elisa to make than to have you father her child, because I knew at that moment you really cared. You cared about Elisa because she is your friend, and you cared about me because of something more. I think you know by now how I feel about this. And how I feel about you."

Don smiled at her, then pulled her close. Elisa and Goliath smiled at each other before heading upstairs to give the young couple some privacy, and to have some of their own before heading over to the dinner party in the Sanctuary.

**The Labyrinth**

"Well, it looks like this Christmas is going to be one for the books," Talon said as he hugged his sister. Elisa had told him and Beth the news about her pregnancy and both he and Maggie were overjoyed, although Maggie seemed to be slightly depressed.

"At least your mom's going to be able to show off her grandkid," Maggie said, and Elisa realized what was upsetting her. Maggie had told her that she tried to get in contact with her mother several days ago to tell her about her own pregnancy and to wish her a Merry Christmas, but the phone had been disconnected, and the card she had sent was returned with no forwarding address. It was as if Eleanor Reed had dropped off the face of the Earth. "My mom won't even acknowledge my own existence anymore."

"It doesn't matter, dear," Diane Maza said. "You know that we all love you and that's what's important. Who knows? Maybe she will someday."

"I hope so," Maggie said. "I keep hoping that one day, she'll come back and say that she was sorry for what she said, and that she loves me, no matter what I look like."

"It is a nice dream, Maggie," Sharon said. "One that is truly worthy of the hope you give it." She sighed. "I only hope that someday I will be able to tell my own parents of my own change." She paused as she looked at Elisa. "And that they will learn to accept it as your parents have your brother's."

"I'm sure they will," Elisa said, looking at her parents and Beth. "If you want, I can talk to Captain Chavez and see if I can get a message to them. Let them know that you're all right."

"Thank you, Elisa," Sharon said. "I would like that very much."

"So," Beth said after Sharon was drawn away by Claw, who needed some assistance helping the clones with decorating the Sanctuary. "When's the big day?"

"Are you going to start that again, Beth?" Don said as he and Delilah walked up. "I swear, that's seems to be the only thing on your mind these days."

"What mind?" Talon teased.

"Hey, watch it, hairball!" Beth protested. "And I think I have a perfect right to ask this time. Elisa's preggers, so now she _has_ to get married."

"Says who?" Elisa quipped. "I may decide not to, just to aggravate you."

"You most certainly will not!" Diane said. "You will be getting married, Elisa Maza, even if I have to drag you down the aisle myself!"

Goliath almost smiled, as did Don, at Elisa's look of shock at her mother's statement, until Diane fixed her gaze on the two males. "And if necessary, the two of you will be there to make certain she marries at least one of you."

"Diane, please," Delilah protested. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" She put her arm around Don and held him tight. "You wouldn't try to take Don away from me?"

"I guess not," Diane said, remembering that Delilah had taken Don as her own. "But don't think that it lets you off the hook just yet, Mr. Taylor. Or you, Goliath." Then she turned her attention back to Beth. "And you better let that boyfriend of yours know that I'll be keeping a close eye on you too, Beth," she said.

"_Boyfriend?" _Beth protested. "Coyote's not..." She stopped when she caught the shocked look on Elisa's face. "I mean, he is in a way, but..."

"Beth, is there something you'd like to tell us?" Peter asked his youngest daughter.

"Oh, look," Beth said, trying to change the subject. She went over to Don's side and grabbed his arm. "I think it's time to help decorate the tree, don't you?"

Don laughed as he quickly extricated himself, only to take Delilah by the hand and head off in the direction of the tree. "Sorry, Beth," he said. "You're going to have to dig yourself out of this one on your own."

"Oy," Beth sighed as she watched them leave. She tried to put on a smile as she turned to face her parents and her siblings. "Uh, mom, dad," she started, "About Coyote..."

Angela stood off to one side, frowning slightly. As much as she wanted to truly enjoy herself, she couldn't bring herself to join in on the festivities. She still felt that Don and Delilah had betrayed her trust and Demona's, and Don fathering a child with Elisa hadn't helped matters. She cast one last glare at the two before turning to leave.

"Going somewhere?" she heard a voice say. She stopped and found herself turning towards Demona.

"Hello, mother," she said, with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "I was...I just...need some time alone, that's all."

"On this day?" Demona asked. "Of all days?"

"I'm not really in the 'festive mood' right now," Angela said.

"Because of Don and Delilah," Demona said flatly.

Angela looked at her, surprised by how calm her mother was about it.

"We need to talk," Demona said. She took Angela by the arm and led her towards the kitchen. When they got there, Demona sat Angela down in a chair and leaned back against the counter. "Okay, daughter," she said. "Out with it. I want to know why this is bugging you so."

"Isn't it obvious?" Angela said. "You and Don were happy together. Why did you have to break things off with him?"

"I did it to protect him," Demona said. "I couldn't risk losing him when Thailog returns. And we both know that he will return."

"But if you wanted to protect Don, couldn't you have picked a better way?" Angela said. "Did you have to break his heart the way you did?"

"Better to break his heart than risk Thailog ripping it out of his chest," Demona said. She paused as she looked at her daughter. "But that's not the big problem, is it? What I want to know is why you have been so ill-mannered towards your sister?"

"My sister?" Angela gasped. "My sister wouldn't have stolen Don away from you the way she did!"

"I see," Demona said.

"No, you don't, Mother!" Angela snapped. "Delilah didn't even wait to see if you would change your mind before grabbing him. She just couldn't wait to jump at the chance to get her hooks into him..."

"So that's it," Demona said. "You're mad at Delilah because you feel she should have waited to see if I would take Don back. I suppose you're also mad at him for the same reason."

"Yeah," Angela said. "I mean, he could have at least made an effort to get you back."

"My dear Angela," Demona said. "You have no idea how much of an effort Don made to try to talk me into changing my mind. Why do you think I flew to Paris when I did?"

"Then he should have at least waited until you got back," Angela countered. "Just in case you did change your mind."

"And how long should Don have waited, hmm?" Demona said. "A month, a year?" She paused. "A century, perhaps?" She went over to the table and sat down, pausing for a second as she saw someone by the door. She continued when she saw the person back away. "The fact is, Angela, that Don had no reason to believe that I was going to try to mend our relationship. And with good cause. The fact that Delilah was there for him is no reason to be angry with either of them. Are you going to hold their happiness against them, simply because of me?"

"But..." Angela started, but Demona quickly cut her off.

"No buts, Angela," Demona said. "Don and Delilah are happy together. I should think that you would be happy for her at least, since you have been looking on her as a sister, and that she has found someone who will be a suitable mate."

"That still doesn't change what they did..."

"What they did was find each other in a moment when both needed someone to care for them," Demona countered. "If I'm not mistaken, earlier this year you were worried that she had returned to Thailog. Would you have preferred she had done that instead, or that Thailog had gotten away with her when he held Andrea and myself hostage?"

"No, but..." Angela said, but Demona quickly silenced her a second time.

"Angela," she said. "For better or worse, Delilah is your sister, even if she was artificially created by Sevarius. You made her so by accepting her as such, even when I myself refused to. Would you ruin all that because of something as petty as spite?"

"I'm not spiteful!" Angela protested.

"Aren't you?" Demona said. "I know you are, Angela. I've seen it often enough in my own reflection to know what it is. You resent the fact that Delilah has been able to make things work between herself and Don when I couldn't. And you shouldn't feel resentment towards them, because I certainly don't. They're happy with each other, as you should be for them."

"But I want you to be happy too, Mother," Angela said.

Demona reached out and stroked Angela's cheek. "Just knowing that I have a daughter that loves me is all the happiness I need, Angela," she said. "Now, I believe that you have some fences to mend, and I suggest that you start immediately. Otherwise..."

"All right," Angela said. She got up from the table and headed out of the kitchen in search of Delilah.

Demona got up from the table and went to the counter to get herself a cup of coffee.

"Seems to me like you could use a bit of your own advice," she heard someone say. She quickly turned around and found Don looking at her.

"D...Don," Demona gasped. "I...I didn't hear you come in."

"I've been listening for a while," he said.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop on other peoples' conversations, you know," she said.

"I know," she said. "But I saw you come in here with Angela. I figured I better see what was up." He turned, watching as Angela approached Delilah hesitantly, then began to talk to her. "You should, you know," he said.

"What?" Demona asked.

"What you said about mending fences," he said, turning to look at her once he saw Delilah and Angela hugging each other. "You should try it for yourself."

"Don, I..." she started.

"I know, Demona," he said. He moved over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Demona thought about brushing them off, but couldn't bring herself to do it. "I was listening, remember? I heard what you told Angela. And I've known for some time why you did what you did."

"I just...I didn't want to risk losing you," she said.

"I guess that's something Elisa never shared with you," he said, smiling.

"What?" she asked.

"A long time ago," he said. "I told Elisa that she couldn't get rid of me, even if she tried."

"When was this?" Demona asked.

"Before I left for the Persian Gulf," Don said. "And I was right. She couldn't get rid of me, and it looks like you can't either."

"Maybe I should try harder," she said.

"Maybe you should quit trying altogether," Don quipped.

This caught Demona by surprise. "Don, you're not trying to..." she started, wondering if Don was making another attempt to get her back.

"No," he said, laughing slightly. "I'm brave," he continued, looking to where Angela and Delilah were helping a few of the children decorate the tree. "But I'm not that brave. Delilah'd kill me." He turned his attention back to Demona. "But I don't think she'd mind if we stayed friends."

Demona thought that over for a moment. "That does seem acceptable."

"You could sound a bit more enthusiastic about it," Don quipped.

Demona smiled widely at him. "Okay," she said. "Friends." She stuck out her hand, then caught the lopsided grin on his face. "Oh, what the hell," she said as Don opened his arms. She threw her own arms around him and lost herself in his friendly embrace.

"Now," he said after they stepped apart, him still holding her hands. "I hear that good old St. Nick is supposed to be here soon. I don't know about you, but I've been looking forward to this all year."

Demona couldn't help but smile, remembering that Andrea had told her about who was going to dress up as Santa Claus for the party. She wasn't about to miss that for the world. Together, they left the kitchen and rejoined the party.

"Now," 'Santa' Hudson said as he lifted a small four-year old girl up onto his knee. "Are ye a good lass, or a naughty one?"

"I'm naughty!" the young girl said defiantly. She reached out and tugged at the elder gargoyle's beard. "So you better fork over the goods, Santa!"

"Kimmy," her mother gasped, shocked.

"That's okay," Elisa said. "I'm sure 'Santa' has something for her in his sack."

"Aye," the faux Santa said. "Although I do miss the days when we'd simply feed the naughty ones to the Great Beast."

Bronx chose that moment to perk up his ears and lick his chops hungrily.

The little girl took one look at Bronx and promptly cried out in terror. "I'll be good! I'll be good! Please don't feed me to him!"

"Hud...uh...Santa!" Elisa cried out in disapproval. "You shouldn't scare the kids like that." Although, she had to admit that his 'threat' had certainly changed the little girl's attitude. She looked at the line of kids waiting for their turn at Santa and saw a few more of them who were looking at Bronx nervously.

"What have we got for the wee lass?" Hudson asked.

"Let's see," Brooklyn, who was in charge of handing out the presents, said. "Here we go. 'Kimmy', right?"

"Yep," the little girl said. She meekly took the brightly wrapped box and thanked him, then hopped off of 'Santa's' knee before darting across the Sanctuary with her prize.

"Thank you, Santa," the young girl's mother said, kissing Hudson on the cheek. It brought a smile to the old gargoyle's face.

"What is that, nine times already?" Lexington said in disbelief as he stood off to one side. "Jeez, what is it with Santa and kids' mothers anyway."

"Aw, you're just jealous that Hudson's having all the fun," Graeme teased.

"You got that right," Lex said. He saw another woman give Hudson a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's it! Next year, I'm going to be Santa."

"You're too short to be Santa," Broadway said. "Not to mention too thin. You'd probably be better off as one of the elves."

"The elves don't score with the chicks," Lex said. He frowned as another woman, who was rather attractive, gave Hudson a quick kiss, only this time it was on the lips. "Oh, man. I can't take this any more. I'm outta here." He headed off across the Sanctuary, so he wouldn't have to watch the spectacle any more.

"What is wrong with Lexington?" Sata asked as she saw Lex depart.

"He's upset that Liz wasn't able to make it here tonight," Graeme said. "She's spending Christmas with her folks."

"Man," Broadway said. "I hope his mood improves by New Year's."

**December 31, 1999**

**6:00 PM**

**Eyrie Building**

Elisa looked at the dress one more time before trying to give it back to Fox, who flatly refused to take it back.

"I couldn't possibly…" Elisa protested.

"Nonsense," Fox said. "If this has anything to do with that police policy about accepting gifts…"

"It's not that," Elisa said. "It's just that I couldn't possibly fit into that dress. It's too small."

"Are you kidding?" Fox said. "We took your measurements for that dress only a few days ago. You couldn't have possibly gained that much weight this fast."

Elisa turned and looked at her profile in the full-length mirror, letting her hand drift down to rest on her belly. "I feel like I have."

"My God, Elisa," Fox said. "You've only been pregnant for three weeks. Believe me, you haven't gained that much. Take it from someone who's been through it once already." Fox patted her own stomach, which was washboard flat, even after giving birth to Alexander Xanatos three years ago.

Off to one side, Angela smiled at Sata. "Were you like that with Graeme and Ariana?" she asked.

"I do not think Brooklyn would have put up with me if I had been," Sata said with a smile on her face. She turned her attention to Elisa. "Trust us, Elisa-chan. You look radiant."

"See," Elisa said, trying to give the dress back to Fox. "Even Sata thinks I'm fat."

"I did not say that," Sata protested. "I merely said you look radiant."

"Right," Elisa said. "Translation: fat!"

"Okay, it's official," Fox said. "Elisa holds the record for the fastest mood swings in history. Even I didn't start mine until my second trimester."

There was a knock on the door. Elisa quickly dropped the dress on the bed and grabbed a bathrobe while Angela went to answer it.

"Everyone decent in there?" Xanatos asked as he started to peek inside.

Elisa quickly closed the robe.

"Everyone except me, David," Fox teased.

"Then maybe I should have Goliath come back later," he said. He started to pull back.

"No, that's okay," she said. She quickly crossed over to the door and looked out into the hall. "Maybe you'll have better luck getting her ready for the party." She opened the door and let Goliath in.

Elisa turned and looked at him. A smile crossed her face.

As Goliath entered the room, Fox stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear. "Just don't tell her she looks radiant," she warned.

"I heard that, Fox," Elisa said.

Fox giggled as she fled the room. David followed her lead and Angela and Sata left as well.

Goliath crossed the room and took Elisa in her arms. "Hello, my love," he said.

Elisa reached up and planted a long kiss on his lips. "Hi, yourself," she returned.

Goliath carefully set her down and brought his hand down to her belly. "How are you feeling?"

"You mean aside from the fact I feel like a blimp?" Elisa said.

Goliath carefully opened the bathrobe and looked at her belly. There was hardly any swelling at all. He placed his hand on the bare skin of her belly. "You certainly don't look it," he said.

"Oh, really," Elisa said, raising her eyebrow. "How do I look?"

"You look…" he hesitated for an instant as he recalled Fox's warning. "Beautiful."

He seemed to hear a collective sigh come from the direction of the door. He took his hand from her belly and turned towards the bed. He picked up the dress. "And you would look even more beautiful in this," he added.

"You're just saying that," Elisa said.

"I mean it," Goliath returned. He walked behind her and turned her towards the mirror, holding the dress in front of her. She smiled as she looked at her reflection. She put her hands on the dress to hold it up as Goliath eased the bathrobe off her shoulders and placed his lips on her throat.

"Mmm," she murmured. "Keep that up and we'll be late for the party. I thought you were supposed to talk me into wearing this thing, not keep me out of it." She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting the dress fall to the floor.

He bent his head down and captured her lips with his own. He held her briefly before breaking the contact and bending down to gather up the dress. "You are right," he said.

Elisa took the dress and smiled at him. "I'll be ready in a few minutes," she said.

It took Elisa slightly longer than a few minutes to get ready, but when Goliath saw the results, he knew it was well worth the wait. The backless black dress she wore seemed designed to mold itself to her figure, except in the outer portion of the dress, where a slit ran up the length of the dress on either side, exposing her shapely legs, which were further accentuated by a pair of high heels. Elisa blushed slightly as she watched Goliath look over every curve of her body.

"You have no idea how tight this thing feels," she quipped, moving towards him. "I swear, I'm almost afraid to breathe in this. Any second, I expect the seams to give out."

"Then we had best hope that they hold throughout the night," Goliath said. "I must admit, though, it is good to see you in this manner, my Elisa. It has been some time since last I saw you in a dress. It is very becoming."

"When was it?" she asked. "Six months ago, right? Just before Don came back?"

"The night I asked you to be my mate," Goliath said. "Though this dress is somewhat more revealing than the one you wore that night."

"Tell me about it," Elisa quipped. She sighed heavily, slightly amazed that she was able to without splitting the seams wide open, then placed her hand on Goliath's arm. "I believe we have a party to go to," she said. "Shall we?"

Goliath smiled as he led his love through the castle halls towards the elevator, which they would take to the helipad several levels below, and from there Fox would ferry them, along with Angela and Broadway, toPack Media Studios, where the party was already starting to get underway.

**Pack Media Studios**

Andrea Calhoun stepped out of the limousine and looked at the building before her. _It certainly was nice of Xanatos to agree to hold the party here, _she thought as she heard the sounds of the party emanating from the structure. She had tried to make arrangements for the PIT New Year's Eve celebration earlier in the year, but everything was booked solid. If it hadn't been for the fact that she had close ties to Goliath's clan, she doubted she could have gotten this place on such short notice.

She turned as she heard the limousine pull away, then paused as she looked at her watch. _Almost eight, _she thought. _Where are you, Dominique?_ Her friend had promised that she would try to meet Andrea there, but she knew that Dominique was nervous about showing up at the party. Many of the people attending the party tonight had been at the PIT Halloween Party last year, and had met and marveled at Dominique's 'life-like' gargoyle costume. So there was the very real possibility that a few would make the connection between Dominique Destine and the gargoyles who were going to be in attendance tonight.

The sound of helicopter blades in the air drew her attention skyward, and she saw a familiar red and black helicopter descending towards her. She stepped back as she saw the aircraft land, then waited until the blades stopped spinning before approaching.

The side door opened, and she smiled as she saw Goliath step out of the helicopter, then paused for a moment as he helped Elisa out.

"Hi, Andrea," Angela said as Broadway helped her out a moment later. Andrea smiled at the lovely young gargoyle, taking in for a moment the navy blue dress she wore instead of her usual tunic.

"Hi, Angela," she returned. "Nice dress."

"You think so?" Angela said as she turned in front of Andrea. "Mother had it made especially for me. Kate designed it."

"I kind of figured that," Andrea said. "She had this one made for me."

Angela looked at the sapphire-blue evening dress Andrea wore. "It's lovely."

"I'm jealous," Fox said as she and Xanatos stepped out of the helicopter. "Angela, tell your mother that I'm going to try to steal Miss Roswell away from her the first chance I get. I probably can pay her double what Demona is."

"And I can no doubt top even that, my dear," Xanatos said.

"David, you wouldn't dare," Fox gasped. "Outbidding your own wife?"

"Come now, Fox," he quipped. "You should know by now what a ruthless businessman I can be. You knew that when you married me."

"I know, but still..." she started as he led her towards the door of the studio.

"It really is a lovely dress, " Elisa said once the Xanatoses were out of earshot.

"I agree," Goliath said.

Andrea smiled at the large gargoyle. "Thanks, Goliath," she said before turning her attention to Elisa. "Thank you, too. Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thanks," Elisa said. "But what say we all go inside before I freeze to death. We can talk then."

"I was hoping that Dominique would be here by now," Andrea said as they entered the studio. "She did say she was coming." She turned to Angela. "She didn't say anything to you about changing her mind, did she?"

"No," Angela said. "Mother told me last night that she would be here."

"I hope she gets here soon," Andrea said.

They paused as they heard a car pull up. Thinking it might be Dominique, Andrea turned and smiled as she approached the vehicle, but stopped when she saw the couple getting out.

"Welcome, Macbeth," Goliath said to the former Scot king. "And to you, Professor Walker."

"Thanks for inviting us," Joanna Walker said. "Otherwise, I think Len would have spent the entire night by himself."

"I wouldna have done that, luv," he said. "I'm certain ye would have found a way to get me to at least one New Year's party sometime tonight." He turned his attention to Goliath. "I take it yuir clan is already inside."

"Angela and Broadway came with us," Elisa said, then blushed slightly as Macbeth's eyes bulged slightly at the sight of her dress.

"Very...lovely, detective," he managed to stammer before Joanna nudged him in the ribs. He managed to tear his eyes away from her and looked at Joanna. "I'm sorry, my dear," he said. "It's just...this is the first time I've seen the detective in something other than her normal street clothes."

"I get the feeling she picked it out just to see what the reaction would be," Joanna said.

"Actually, Fox is the one who picked it out," Elisa said. "But you're probably right about the reason." She looked down at the nearly skin-tight dress. "Believe me, I'd never pick out something like this for myself."

"It is still quite becoming, detective," Macbeth said. "Goliath is a very lucky gargoyle."

"Thank you, Macbeth," Goliath said.

"That still doesna mean I won't try and steal a dance from her," he said with a hint of a smile as he extended his hand. "My lady?"

Goliath rumbled low in his throat, causing Macbeth to back away slightly.

"I dinna mean anything by that, Goliath," he said quickly. "If ye want, you can have a dance with Joanna if ye'd like."

"I don't know, Len," she said. "I've never danced with a gargoyle before. I mean, do they even..."

Elisa looked from Macbeth to Goliath before turning her attention to Joanna. "Oh, don't worry," she said. "Believe it or not, Goliath is a terrific dance partner." She looked up at Goliath. "That is, if you don't mind?"

Goliath bowed gallantly to Joanna. "I would consider it an honor," he said. He reached out and lightly took Joanna's hand in his own and escorted her out onto the floor.

"He is a good dancer at that," Macbeth said, watching the two of them together. He turned to Elisa. "If you would do me the honor, milady?" he said, bowing.

"Hmm," Elisa thought. "The chance to dance with royalty," she said. "Who am I to say no to that?" She took Macbeth's extended hand and let him sweep her out onto the floor with the others.

It wasn't long before the rest of the clan arrived, which caused a bit of a stir as the human partygoers took in what they were wearing. The males of the clan, Goliath included, had chosen to wear their usual attire, but it was the females who caused the stir. Angela had worn a navy-blue evening dress, which was cut low in the back for her wings, and there was a daring slit up the side, ostensibly to show off a bit of leg, but it also gave her a bit of room underneath so that she could keep her tail under the dress, instead of having it stick out through the back. Sata wore a red-and-gold Mandarin dress, which seemed to hug her curves as tightly as Elisa's dress did, and Brooklyn had to glare at more than one person who asked for a dance from her.

"And no one's bothering to ask me to dance," Lex said, sounding dejected. He drifted over towards the wall and sat, alone.

"Hey, cutey," he heard a cheery voice say.

Lex looked up, and a smile crossed his face. There was Liz, wearing a pink dress.

"Liz!" he said. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I conned my parents into coming here," she quipped. "I told them that a couple of friends invited me out to a swell shindig for New Year's and that we were meeting here."

"Your parents are here?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, pointing off to one side. "That's them, talking to Richard and Quinn."

Lex looked, spotting Richard Harrison and Quinn talking to a tall, rather solidly built man with dark brown hair who looked like he could easily go a few rounds with Goliath. Next to him stood a petite blonde who could have easily passed for Liz's older sister. He gulped. "That's your Dad?"

"Yep," she said. "So don't try anything funny, pal."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said.

"Good," Liz said. "Come on," she added, grabbing his hand. "I want you to meet them."

"I...don't think that's a good idea, Liz," he said shakily, still trying to get over the sheer size of Liz's dad.

"Sure it is," she said, taking hold of Lex's hand and pulling him behind her. "Mom, Dad," she called out. "Here's someone I'd like you to meet."

Liz's parents turned and saw her dragging a web-winged gargoyle towards them. Her mother looked at him curiously while her father's face drew up in a bit of a frown.

"Mom, Dad," she said. "This is Lex."

Lex looked up at the imposing figure of Liz's father. For some reason, the image of a bug splattered against a windshield immediately sprang to mind. "Uh hi," he said meekly.

Elisa and Goliath watched the exchange between Liz's parents and Lexington. "I get the feeling Lexington is a little uncomfortable at meeting Liz's parents," Goliath said.

"I don't blame him," Elisa said. "I mean, look at the size of that guy."

"He does seem formidable," Goliath said. "But no more so than most humans."

"Says you," Elisa quipped. "I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want to tangle with that guy. Not without a lot of back-up." She looked at Liz's father. "And an air strike."

They watched as Lex began talking to the two adults, shakily at first, but then they seemed to warm up to the small gargoyle, and eventually Liz's father reached out and shook Lex's hand. When they went off to join the rest of the party, Liz and Lex headed over to Goliath and Elisa, Lex shaking his hand slightly.

"Something wrong, Lex?" Elisa asked.

"Her dad's got a grip like steel vise," he said. "I think he might have broken something."

"He just wanted to make sure you didn't try anything, Lex," Liz quipped. "I really think he liked you, though," she added.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Because he didn't try to squish you," Liz said with a giggle.

Andrea stepped outside for a moment, looking up at the night sky. The air was crisp and clean, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A beautiful winter's night, but still there was no sign of Dominique.

"Okay, Dom," she said aloud. "Where..."

As if in response, she heard the flutter of wings, and she looked up to see the azure gargoyle descending towards her. Demona landed in front of her and Andrea's eyes went wide.

"Wow!" Andrea said at the sight of the dress Demona was wearing. "You're going to turn every head in the room with that."

"You think so?" she asked. "It isn't much..."

"I'll say!" Andrea said. "Any less and you'd be arrested for indecent exposure."

"Perhaps," Demona said with a hint of a smile. "I just wanted to make certain no one looked too closely at my face tonight," she said. "And Kate was more than willing to design the perfect distraction for me."

"I seriously doubt that anyone's going to be looking at your face, Dom," Andrea quipped. "At least not right away." She watched as Demona did a very slow turn in front of her. "One piece of advise, though," she said as they headed for the door.

"What?" Demona asked.

"Keep a lookout for stray hands," Andrea said. "Some of the guys in there just might forget that you're a gargoyle and try something funny, especially with midnight just around the corner."

"I'll be sure to remember that."

The door opened, and Elisa paused as she was about to take a sip of punch to see who the new arrivals were. "Oh...my...God," she gasped.

Demona came into the room, and all activity seemed to pause for a moment as everyone's eyes turned towards her.

"What did I tell you?" Andrea whispered into Demona's ear.

Demona was wearing a sheer, almost see-thru, single strap blue dress that was just a shade lighter than her own skin. At strategic points however, there were strips of shimmering blue polyester that were cut and positioned just so as to approximate the look of her usual halter and loincloth. The effect the dress had on the room was staggering. Elisa heard a long, drawn-out 'Whew!', which was abruptly cut off as Fox elbowed her husband in the side.

Demona and Andrea made their way through the room, heading for Elisa and Goliath, and the crowd in the room parted to give her room, everyone's eyes following the azure gargoyle.

"Good evening, detective," Demona said once she reached the table.

"De...Demona," Elisa stammered slightly. She took in the dress. "Wow!"

"It seems you were right, Andrea," Demona quipped. "I did turn a few heads."

"You could be sued for whiplash, Demona," Elisa said. "And I think you may have caused a few bruised ribs in the process."

"How..." she started, but then she saw Xanatos rubbing the spot where Fox had jabbed him. "I see," she said.

Xanatos chose that moment to step forward, out of his wife's elbow range. "Demona, you are looking extremely lovely this evening," he said. He tried to take her hand and kiss it, but Demona quickly snatched it out of reach.

"Thank you for the compliment, Xanatos," she said. "But I would prefer that you keep your hands to yourself."

"Of course," he said. Turning, he headed back towards Fox, who had a very disapproving look in her eye.

"And what do you think, Goliath?" Demona asked, turning to consider her former mate.

"I...I think...that..." he stammered, trying to get his emotions in check. "It..." He stopped, then set down his cup and turned towards the door. "If you will excuse me," he said as he practically bolted for the door.

Elisa set down her cup and started after him. "I'll be back in a minute," she said to the two women. "Goliath, wait up," she called out.

She found Goliath standing outside, his hands braced against the side of the building and his head hung in shame. "Goliath, what's wrong?" she asked.

"It...is...Demona," he said. "She...I..." He stopped as he looked at his love, his future mate. "Elisa, there is something I need to tell you," he said, shaking. "Demona...and I..."

"I know, Goliath," she said softly.

He looked at her, shock clear in his eyes. "You...know? How..."

"Demona told me what happened," she said. "That morning, after I got up."

"Elisa, you should know that she..."

"Please, Goliath," she said quickly, sensing what he was about to say. "Don't say it. I'm not angry with you because of what happened, but I will be if you try to put this solely on her." She stepped over to Goliath and put her hands on his arms. "Despite everything that's happened between the two of you, I know that, deep down, you still care about Demona, just as she cares for you. Don't try to cheapen that by saying that what happened was her fault."

"But what she and I did that night..."

"Was no different than what Don and I did," Elisa said. "The only difference was that you knew beforehand what I had in mind. There was no way either of us could know that Demona would become involved." She sighed then, looking down at the ground. "In a strange way, it's better that this happened when it did."

"How so?" Goliath asked, still shocked.

"It gave all of us a sense of closure, Goliath," she said. "Don and myself, and you and Demona. When this all started six years ago, we were both still reeling from the loss of someone we held dear to our hearts. Then we found them again, only to lose them a second time. And neither one of us had the chance to say goodbye."

"But you did get that chance, Elisa," he reminded her. "When Don returned after the fire..."

"But things were different between us," Elisa said. "I knew that we couldn't go back to the way things were, but I tried anyway. And we...Don and I...we didn't..."

"I had thought that you had..." Goliath started.

"I guess, even then, Don knew that you and I were destined for each other, Goliath," she said. "Maybe that's why he wouldn't when we were together earlier this year, and why he gave me the opportunity to back out that one night."

"But you and he did eventually..." Goliath said.

"But I had to talk him into it," Elisa said. "That's why you shouldn't judge Demona because of what happened between the two of you, because I'd be guilty of the same thing. What happened happened, Goliath, and I don't blame you or Don or even Demona for it. We all needed comfort that night, Goliath. Don't blame Demona because she needed you that night as much as you needed her, because I know I sure don't. She's finally started to get her life back on track, Goliath. Don't ruin all that for her because of one small incident."

Goliath took Elisa in his arms, holding her tight. "Every so often, my love, you do or say something that reminds me of why I fell in love with you in the first place," he said.

She looked up, seeing the smile on his face. "And so do you," she said. "Now, what say we head back inside. You may not feel the cold, but I'm freezing out here."

He smiled as he heard her teeth begin to chatter and quickly wrapped his wing around her as they headed back inside.

Don and Delilah were standing by the table, talking with Andrea and Demona when Goliath returned, his wing draped around Elisa.

"We wondered where you went to," Don said. He could see that Elisa's teeth were chattering slightly. "You okay, Elis'?" he asked.

"You have no idea how cold it is out there," Elisa said.

"Why were you outside?" Delilah asked.

"Goliath and I needed a little...privacy," she said. "There was something we needed to discuss."

"Is he in trouble?" Don asked.

Elisa looked up at Goliath. "No," she said. "Not yet, at least."

Goliath took his wing from around Elisa's shoulders and cautiously approached Demona. "I would consider it an...honor...if you would share one dance with me, Demona," he said, bowing slightly to her.

Demona's eyes went wide in surprise, and she looked over at Elisa, who gave her a nod of approval. "All right," she said. "But just one, mind you. I'm certain that your intended plans to monopolize you the rest of the night."

"I'm certain that she will," Goliath said, extending his arm. Demona placed her hand on his arm and allowed herself to be led out onto the dance floor.

"They make such a lovely couple," Andrea said, almost without thinking. "Makes me wish I brought my paints and a canvas so I can..." She stopped, looking at Elisa with a touch of horror in her eyes. "Oh, God," she said. "Elisa, I'm sorry. I forgot that you and he are..."

"It's all right," Elisa said. "You're right. They do make a nice couple." She paused for a minute. "But whatever they had together was over a long time ago. No one can go back and change the past." She looked over at Don. "As much as some of us would like to."

"I know the feeling," Don said. He stepped away from Delilah for a moment and took Elisa by the hand. "You know, we haven't danced yet tonight," he said.

Elisa looked at Delilah. "Is it okay with you?" she asked.

"Of course," she said, then put her hand on Don's shoulder and whispered in Don's ear. "Just so long as you remember who you're going home with tonight."

Elisa grinned at that. "I don't think you have to worry too much, Delilah," she said. "Don't forget who's taking _me_ home tonight."

"All right, everybody," the emcee shouted as the wall-sized monitor showed a view of Times Square. Everyone watched and waited for the giant ball started to begin its descent. "Five minutes and counting."

"Well, this is it," Elisa said as she hung on Goliath's arm. "The end of the old year and the beginning of the new."

"I can only hope that the new year will be somewhat less 'eventful' than this year was," Goliath said.

"It would be nice," Elisa said. "But you know as well as I do that it isn't going to happen. Just remember, in about nine months, the two of us are really going to have our hands full."

"If that were to be the only disturbance in our lives in the coming year," Goliath said. "I would gladly face it with open arms."

"Same here," she said.

"Nine months?" they heard someone say. They turned and saw Macbeth and Joanna walker approaching them. "Does that mean what I think it does?" Macbeth said.

"Yep," Elisa said. "I'm going to have a baby."

Macbeth looked at Goliath in amazement. "Then I suppose that congratulations are in order," he said. "Although, I wasna sure if the two of ye could ever..."

"Goliath...isn't the father," Elisa said discretely. "It's a long story."

"I suppose it would be at that," he said. "But still, a toast is in order." He snared a couple of champagne glasses from a passing waitress and handed one each to Goliath and Elisa. "To the happy parents-to-be," he said. "May ye be blessed with fine children and happy memories."

Elisa and Goliath raised their glasses, tapping them with Macbeth and Joanna's, then took a quick sip before Goliath came up with a toast of his own.

"And to you, Macbeth," he said. "May you find happiness yourself in the coming year."

"Here, here," Elisa said.

"Toasting the new year already?" Don said as he and Delilah approached. "There's still two minutes left."

"Just wishing each other joy in the coming year, Don," Goliath said. "With all that has happened this past year, one should hope for better things in the year to come."

"Sounds like a good idea," Don said. He put his arm around Delilah, holding her close. "We all could use some hope for the future."

"Aye," Macbeth said. "And a good way to start is to put the past behind us." He looked around for a moment. "If ye'll excuse me for just a moment..."

They watched as Macbeth headed across the room, searching for one person in particular. He came back with Andrea Calhoun and Demona in tow.

"I don't understand..." Elisa said.

"If we're to put the past behind us," Macbeth said. "Then I think it should begin here, with the four of us. For too long, we've been adversaries, and it's cost all of us dearly."

Demona looked at Macbeth. "I agree," she said. "It is time to put the past behind us. With the new year, we should begin anew. Make this the year we finally come together as one. One clan, one family." She looked at Delilah and Don. "Let's make this a new beginning for all of us."

"To new beginnings, then," Don said, even as the countdown to the new year began.

"Five...four...three...two...one...Happy New Year!" everyone shouted as balloons and streamers began to fall from the ceiling, and the melodious tones of 'Auld Lang Syne' began to filter through the room. As the New Year's celebration around them grew, the group raised their glasses for one more toast.

"To new beginnings?" Elisa said.

Demona looked over at her one-time enemy and her former mate before looking at Macbeth. "To new beginnings," she said.

"Aye," the former Scot king said. "To new beginnings, for all of us."

"Agreed," Goliath said.

The End


End file.
